I believe that Liberalism (aspects from both Classical and Modern) align best with my beliefs and values. One of the concepts in Classical liberalism is supporting self-interest and individual sovereignty. People should be allowed to express their ideas and pursue their interests and I support allowing this as it can either create a revolutionary discovery or further enforce a current method. Furthermore, Liberalism believed in economic freedom and equality, and I believe that this is important because nobody should be exempt from taxes and tariffs but at the same time, people should work for reward. Additionally, I believe that pursuit of self-interest benefits hard-workers as they are paid for the work they do as opposed to Socialism, which believes in sharing everything. I think that Socialism is self-defeating because if everyone is paid the same regardless of work, then nobody will want to work because they all receive the same reward. This will cause the society to destroy itself because nothing gets done. However, modern liberalism also includes the idea of helping those in need. Providing aid to those who cannot help themselves is important as everyone has the right to life and we should not leave people out to die. Overall, I believe Liberalism contributes a great way to lead any society.
I think I lean most towards Liberalism relative to other ideologies due to its principle values. Liberalism puts emphasis on individual freedom and equality while still showing support for those less fortunate and I personally believe that these are ideas that a healthy society should be built upon. First of all freedom gives us the ability to make and follow our own choices in society, and this is what allows us as humans to live and create something unique and prosperous for ourselves. Second, equality helps to ensure that each individual is able to pursue the same opportunities as others and improve society together, and finally caring for those less fortunate reminds us of kindness and helps us develop as a whole instead of allowing for strife and disparity to increase. This is why I would support Liberalism over other ideologies.
Very insightful Sarah. The liberalism you speak of is what is known as modern liberalism, which is what most modern liberal democracies found their societies on, both politically and economically. It encourages personal freedoms while at the same time providing the necessary means to all members in society to thrive and experience security.
I think the ideaology that best suits my beliefs and values is Conservatism. It aims for social stability, and limits government regulation, giving more power to the people. Conservatism also supports gradual change as opposed to sudden, drastic changes. I think this is appropriate because it does not push anything on to the public, and also gives citizens time to decide whether they are happy with the change or not. The current government of Canada is led by a Conservative party, and I am of the opinion that the qaulity of life in Canada is very good. Citizens of Canada have a lot of freedom, but one can also feel safe. Conservatism still allows society to progress and metamorphosize in some aspects, but saves society from being forced to jump into certain changes on a whim.
I think that both liberalism and conservatism represents my values the best. Liberalism believes in the freedom of the individual, and equality. I believe that a society will strive if everyone is equal. I also believe in individualism, and that a person should have the right to be different. I also appreciate how liberalism enforces laws to protect the individuals. The government is a crucial instrument to protect the people, and their rights. Liberals also believe in change, and progress. I think that without change a society cannot move forward. However I do not believe that the change should be made over night. The change should not be abrupt. This is where I agree with conservatism. I believe that some of what is established should be preserved. I believe in preserving the best of society. I think a mix between conservatism and liberalism reflect my beliefs best.
Nice comment Kelvie. Can you expand on how you believe liberalism promotes equality? Because you're right...but there's a difference between equality promoted in a socialist society and equality promoted in a liberal society? Anyone else can comment as well.
I believe I lean towards socialism for representation of my beliefs and values. Control of production and distribution are all under the control of the community, this means that power will be in the hands of the population as opposed to it being in the hands of a few elite individuals. Society also benefits from socialism, because now each person isn't thinking about his or her own self-interests, but of the interests of the community (this is strictly theoretical because there will be corruption), this will lead to the workout being spread out evenly, and everyone benefiting from what they do. With the wealth being spread out evenly among the people, corporations would lose power that they would otherwise have, and the society ends up being more fair. With socialism, quality of life would eventually increase, as a result of better education, better products(food, electronics, etc). One of the most discussed flaws of socialism would be the lack of innovation and specialization under socialism due to a lack of competition and motivation by money. I agree with this weakness of socialism, but it wasn't created to spark innovation, it was created to ensure no one would have to live without the necessities of life. Also, there will still be progress in technology, but slower than what liberalism can bring. Still, I believe that this is an equal trade to ideally remove human corruption and improve the quality of life in the present as well as in the future. Keep in mind this is all theoretical, as there is no way to create a perfect socialist/communist society, because of our drive to compete and get ahead of others. However, in the case it is possible, I would think that socialism reflects my beliefs best.
Bill Cai's comment is by far the most insightful comment. Liberalism in itself, is not inherently bad. However, certain ideals such as privatization does indeed deter human progress, that which the ideology so tightly clings onto. In fact, change in itself is a good thing. Like the idea of Adam Smith's Invisible Hand on the economy, in anthropology as well, the idea of the Invisible Hand also shapes Darwin's idea of natural selection.
What the Invisible Hand does, is to have the species compete with one another, among its species, and with other species for food, water, overcoming diseases, and shelter, so as to achieve the best quality of that particular species (genes passing on to later generations), and to ensure its survivability in the environment. This is good; but the idea of "lower species" does not have a sense of morality will take into effect.
We, as human beings, who claim to be of higher intelligence in comparison to most (or all) other species roaming this Earth, should be able to grasp a sense of dignity and ethics. From birth, humans are taught to have compassion on other human beings. However, this definitely goes against the idea of privatization that Liberalists so dearly hold onto. What, then, is this contradiction that we have imposed among ourselves? Did schools not teach students to work together and to get along with our peers? Can we actually survives as a "lone wolf" in an economy with no help and friends?
Liberalism advocates having rights, which, only destroys our sense of humanity. Rights advocate humans to only seek individual self-happiness and neglect the feelings and and happiness of other individuals. Humans are designed to have a sense of compassion to help not only oneself, but also others around. Without this, humans can never advance as a race and contiuously evolve. In fact, pursuing individualistic ideas, will not only advocate the idea of ethical egoism, but also advocate the suppression of the weak, which would ultimately lead to a regression of our race.
As a result, Bill's strong conclusion regarding the removing (or lessening) of corruption, and the improvement of the quality of life, is by far the strongest argument.
Wonderful insight Sean...you seem to have a keen interest in this material. Thanks for engaging in the discussion. Based on your comments here, what, then, is your view of human nature? Are we born inherently good and generous or selfish and evil?
My view on human nature is basically that of the idea that human beings are inherently selfish and evil because, on a personal viewpoint, think that all human beings are also animals. Just like my previous analogy referring to animals undergoing natural selection, human beings, as primates, also under went natural selection to reach where we are today. To arrive to this date, like many animals, we would have been required to fend and look out for only ourselves and our species, so as to achieve a population (still with defects) with a higher survivability rate.
With this mindset, we as humans have been born selfish and, to an extent, evil. Most people tend to think of other people - but first putting oneself on the scale to see if it would have a worse outcome on the individual in comparison to others.
However, human beings can be taught to be good and generous. Experience and leaning is a vital aspect of the human intelligence which allows us to continuously evolve as a race and species.
The ideology that best fits my personal beliefs is Liberalism. I am a huge supporter of the rights of individuals because I believe that giving people the freedom to do as they will as much as possible is the only way that society will make any progress towards the common good. Libertarianism asserts that liberty of the individual is of paramount importance; a statement that I strongly agree with. Libertarianism also supports equality in all aspects life. The idea that all people should be given an equal chance to accomplish what they can in life seems extremely right and fair to me, so I tend to agree with this assertion. However, it seems a bit self-contradictory to support both freedom and equality in all aspects of life. If people are given complete freedom, then some will naturally rise above others perhaps due to certain skills such as leadership. Social hierarchies will emerge and it seems to me that no one who supports complete human freedom can oppose social hierarchies without being a hypocrite. In this respect I deviate slightly from the liberalist philosophy. I do not support equality in all aspects of life, but I do in most.
I believe that Liberalism (aspects from both Classical and Modern) align best with my beliefs and values. One of the concepts in Classical liberalism is supporting self-interest and individual sovereignty. People should be allowed to express their ideas and pursue their interests and I support allowing this as it can either create a revolutionary discovery or further enforce a current method. Furthermore, Liberalism believed in economic freedom and equality, and I believe that this is important because nobody should be exempt from taxes and tariffs but at the same time, people should work for reward. Additionally, I believe that pursuit of self-interest benefits hard-workers as they are paid for the work they do as opposed to Socialism, which believes in sharing everything. I think that Socialism is self-defeating because if everyone is paid the same regardless of work, then nobody will want to work because they all receive the same reward. This will cause the society to destroy itself because nothing gets done. However, modern liberalism also includes the idea of helping those in need. Providing aid to those who cannot help themselves is important as everyone has the right to life and we should not leave people out to die. Overall, I believe Liberalism contributes a great way to lead any society.
ReplyDeleteI think I lean most towards Liberalism relative to other ideologies due to its principle values. Liberalism puts emphasis on individual freedom and equality while still showing support for those less fortunate and I personally believe that these are ideas that a healthy society should be built upon. First of all freedom gives us the ability to make and follow our own choices in society, and this is what allows us as humans to live and create something unique and prosperous for ourselves. Second, equality helps to ensure that each individual is able to pursue the same opportunities as others and improve society together, and finally caring for those less fortunate reminds us of kindness and helps us develop as a whole instead of allowing for strife and disparity to increase. This is why I would support Liberalism over other ideologies.
ReplyDeleteVery insightful Sarah. The liberalism you speak of is what is known as modern liberalism, which is what most modern liberal democracies found their societies on, both politically and economically. It encourages personal freedoms while at the same time providing the necessary means to all members in society to thrive and experience security.
DeleteI think the ideaology that best suits my beliefs and values is Conservatism. It aims for social stability, and limits government regulation, giving more power to the people. Conservatism also supports gradual change as opposed to sudden, drastic changes. I think this is appropriate because it does not push anything on to the public, and also gives citizens time to decide whether they are happy with the change or not. The current government of Canada is led by a Conservative party, and I am of the opinion that the qaulity of life in Canada is very good. Citizens of Canada have a lot of freedom, but one can also feel safe. Conservatism still allows society to progress and metamorphosize in some aspects, but saves society from being forced to jump into certain changes on a whim.
ReplyDeleteI think that both liberalism and conservatism represents my values the best. Liberalism believes in the freedom of the individual, and equality. I believe that a society will strive if everyone is equal. I also believe in individualism, and that a person should have the right to be different. I also appreciate how liberalism enforces laws to protect the individuals. The government is a crucial instrument to protect the people, and their rights. Liberals also believe in change, and progress. I think that without change a society cannot move forward. However I do not believe that the change should be made over night. The change should not be abrupt. This is where I agree with conservatism. I believe that some of what is established should be preserved. I believe in preserving the best of society. I think a mix between conservatism and liberalism reflect my beliefs best.
ReplyDeleteNice comment Kelvie. Can you expand on how you believe liberalism promotes equality? Because you're right...but there's a difference between equality promoted in a socialist society and equality promoted in a liberal society? Anyone else can comment as well.
DeleteI believe I lean towards socialism for representation of my beliefs and values. Control of production and distribution are all under the control of the community, this means that power will be in the hands of the population as opposed to it being in the hands of a few elite individuals. Society also benefits from socialism, because now each person isn't thinking about his or her own self-interests, but of the interests of the community (this is strictly theoretical because there will be corruption), this will lead to the workout being spread out evenly, and everyone benefiting from what they do. With the wealth being spread out evenly among the people, corporations would lose power that they would otherwise have, and the society ends up being more fair. With socialism, quality of life would eventually increase, as a result of better education, better products(food, electronics, etc). One of the most discussed flaws of socialism would be the lack of innovation and specialization under socialism due to a lack of competition and motivation by money. I agree with this weakness of socialism, but it wasn't created to spark innovation, it was created to ensure no one would have to live without the necessities of life. Also, there will still be progress in technology, but slower than what liberalism can bring. Still, I believe that this is an equal trade to ideally remove human corruption and improve the quality of life in the present as well as in the future. Keep in mind this is all theoretical, as there is no way to create a perfect socialist/communist society, because of our drive to compete and get ahead of others. However, in the case it is possible, I would think that socialism reflects my beliefs best.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBill Cai's comment is by far the most insightful comment. Liberalism in itself, is not inherently bad. However, certain ideals such as privatization does indeed deter human progress, that which the ideology so tightly clings onto. In fact, change in itself is a good thing. Like the idea of Adam Smith's Invisible Hand on the economy, in anthropology as well, the idea of the Invisible Hand also shapes Darwin's idea of natural selection.
ReplyDeleteWhat the Invisible Hand does, is to have the species compete with one another, among its species, and with other species for food, water, overcoming diseases, and shelter, so as to achieve the best quality of that particular species (genes passing on to later generations), and to ensure its survivability in the environment. This is good; but the idea of "lower species" does not have a sense of morality will take into effect.
We, as human beings, who claim to be of higher intelligence in comparison to most (or all) other species roaming this Earth, should be able to grasp a sense of dignity and ethics. From birth, humans are taught to have compassion on other human beings. However, this definitely goes against the idea of privatization that Liberalists so dearly hold onto. What, then, is this contradiction that we have imposed among ourselves? Did schools not teach students to work together and to get along with our peers? Can we actually survives as a "lone wolf" in an economy with no help and friends?
Liberalism advocates having rights, which, only destroys our sense of humanity. Rights advocate humans to only seek individual self-happiness and neglect the feelings and and happiness of other individuals. Humans are designed to have a sense of compassion to help not only oneself, but also others around. Without this, humans can never advance as a race and contiuously evolve. In fact, pursuing individualistic ideas, will not only advocate the idea of ethical egoism, but also advocate the suppression of the weak, which would ultimately lead to a regression of our race.
As a result, Bill's strong conclusion regarding the removing (or lessening) of corruption, and the improvement of the quality of life, is by far the strongest argument.
Wonderful insight Sean...you seem to have a keen interest in this material. Thanks for engaging in the discussion. Based on your comments here, what, then, is your view of human nature? Are we born inherently good and generous or selfish and evil?
ReplyDeleteMy view on human nature is basically that of the idea that human beings are inherently selfish and evil because, on a personal viewpoint, think that all human beings are also animals. Just like my previous analogy referring to animals undergoing natural selection, human beings, as primates, also under went natural selection to reach where we are today. To arrive to this date, like many animals, we would have been required to fend and look out for only ourselves and our species, so as to achieve a population (still with defects) with a higher survivability rate.
DeleteWith this mindset, we as humans have been born selfish and, to an extent, evil. Most people tend to think of other people - but first putting oneself on the scale to see if it would have a worse outcome on the individual in comparison to others.
However, human beings can be taught to be good and generous. Experience and leaning is a vital aspect of the human intelligence which allows us to continuously evolve as a race and species.
The ideology that best fits my personal beliefs is Liberalism. I am a huge supporter of the rights of individuals because I believe that giving people the freedom to do as they will as much as possible is the only way that society will make any progress towards the common good. Libertarianism asserts that liberty of the individual is of paramount importance; a statement that I strongly agree with. Libertarianism also supports equality in all aspects life. The idea that all people should be given an equal chance to accomplish what they can in life seems extremely right and fair to me, so I tend to agree with this assertion. However, it seems a bit self-contradictory to support both freedom and equality in all aspects of life. If people are given complete freedom, then some will naturally rise above others perhaps due to certain skills such as leadership. Social hierarchies will emerge and it seems to me that no one who supports complete human freedom can oppose social hierarchies without being a hypocrite. In this respect I deviate slightly from the liberalist philosophy. I do not support equality in all aspects of life, but I do in most.
ReplyDeleteNever mind I thought that liberalism supported equality of outcome, but it actually supports equality of opportunity as I do.
Delete