Liberal Ideas Of Equality And The Right Of Law - 1591 Words

Liberal ideas of equality and the right of law may be normative to this current epoch but these ideas were considered radical at their time (Fielding et al. 2009, p. 127). Rising to prominence during the 18th century Enlightenment, liberal ideas has roots in the period of the protestant reformation in the 16th century, with ideas of increased importance and faith in the individual and his rationality in opposition to the central authority of the Catholic Church (Fielding et al., 2009, p. 106). Later, political liberalism was said to be a result of the growing middle class in a period where growing capitalism took the place of medieval feudalism and reflected the middle class interests against the â€Å"absolutism† of monarchy. (Heywood 2007, p. 24) In summary, classical liberalism is a tradition of greater emphasis in autonomy of the individual with less authority the ruler and, at the time, further fuelled by the growing industrialisation and economic growth that came along with it (Fielding et al. 2009, p. 107). In this essay, some of the many key ideas of classical liberalism will be discussed, such as individualism and personal liberty, equality and rule of law and property and the free market principle, drawing heavily from work by John Locke. Next, Locke’s work will be discussed to show how the development of liberal ideals from Thomas Hobbes. Lastly, substantive equality will be contrasted to explain how upper class interests are expressed and favoured in classicalShow MoreRelatedMulticulturalism : Is It A Issue?1735 Words   |  7 PagesOver the years multiculturalism has fast become a pressing issue in our modern world. 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