Topic > Analysis of the political vision of liberalism

The political realm is multifaceted and presents different schools of thought. Among the most influential schools of thought are: liberalism, realism, idealism, pragmatism, existentialism, radicals and conservatives. These schools of thought hold onto different worldviews that help shape the politics of the world. This article is oriented towards the political vision of liberalism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayChau (2009, p.2) recognizes liberalism as a political philosophy encompassed by two principles: individualism and freedom. The purpose of liberalism is to enable individuals to achieve the highest possible level through freedom. In this case, Chau argues that the individual is at the center of society in which, if given the opportunity to define their own ways, liberalism will take over. A significant concept of liberalism established by Hobhouse (1944, p.117) is “truth”. Hobhouse believes that a mature liberalism is based on “the whole truth and nothing but the truth” (Hobhouse 1944, p.117). A liberalist is described as a person who strives to promote truth and everything he considers false should be compared with justice. Justice in this case was used deliberately to reveal that there are some concepts that can be seen as false but actually contain some elements of verisimilitude. A fair hearing for both what the individual perceives to be true and what is believed to be false helps liberals provide strong evidence for his or her views. This idea is further amplified by Gardner (2006, p.2) who argues that truth defines the human being and for the human being to be true he should have the opportunity to make his own choices. In the above presentation, Hobhouse attempts to link truth to justice in the sense that justice precedes truth. If a situation is given a correct judgment in terms of truth or falsity, the truth is understood. A liberalist should be fair when analyzing the truth of a situation or person because some things that seem false may not be false in themselves. furthermore, errors should be given fair evaluation because as they develop, the truth can emerge. The second key idea presented by Hobhouse is “divergent opinion”. A society characterized by liberalism should accept the fact that people are different and have different opinions (Hobhouse 1944 p.119). Therefore, individuals should be able to express their opinions without fear of contradiction. Huckfeldt (2002, p.1) attributes democracy in politics to the divergent opinion that holds that public opinion plays an important role in achieving democracy in a nation. Hobhouse states that societies should stop stigmatizing immoral people or denying them the chance to take part in meaningful social events because the person can reform and become useful to society. This statement by Hobhouse reveals the correlation between divergent opinions and the truth. He believes that once a person has come to the point of reform, that person has defined the truth. In that case, divergent opinion helps liberals discern principles of truth. Hobhouse (1944, p.123) theorizes that a liberal society is one built on the “self-directed power of the personality.” The society in which individuals have the power of self-direction has freedom. This argument is in congruence with the definition of liberalism offered by Bell (2014, p. 682) according to which freedom is the only component of liberal society. Hobhouse's idea is that people should be given thepossibility to define their own life rather than defining it for them. Life is a learning process and what people learn on their own they absorb and retain better (Hobhouse 1944 p.122). He refutes the concept of moral discipline by arguing that it acts as a reversal agent of a person's progress because it focuses primarily on entertaining the people around him. Sometimes external pressure can overwhelm a person and reduce him completely, however, once he is given the chance to rise up, he will grow to the full realization of his potential. However, freedom is not preordained as a right of a society, but simply as a principle that drives people to treat each other as rational beings. This concept is linked to the concept of truth in that no one can judge a person's behavior as right or wrong and if one judges others this way, the concept of truth will be jeopardized. However, guiding wrongdoers in the right direction so that they can define their own path is the foundation of truth. The “organic conception” constitutes one of the pillars of Hobhouse's work (1944, p.126). Hobhouse summarizes the concept of the organic as collective components working together as a whole. In this case, a society is metaphorically described as organic since it is made up of different people working together. However, for people to work together in society, individual freedom should be guaranteed (Ogunkoya 2011 p.516). By fusing individual freedom and the development of society, Hobhouse manages to connect the concept of self-directed power of the personality and that of organic conception. In that case, if a person has defined his own power of self-direction, he is able to join others in development programs. He justifies his decision to link these concepts by arguing that individual rights can never conflict with the common good of society and that there is no personality superior to the rest of society. At the center of the solitary society, Hobhouse places the concept of "natural harmony". He cites the concept of natural harmony as “support” rather than a conflict-free society (Hobhouse 1944 p.128). There should be an opportunity through which individuals and society can achieve harmony. The path described here is one that leads to individual development which in turn will help the entire society to develop. For example, people always acquire education individually, but after employment their efforts are used to transform society. However, to achieve harmony, individual interest should be respected and be free from external interference (Hobhouse 1944 p.129). Faily (2016, p.5) warns that harmony can be compromised when society is divided into majority and minority classes. However, harmony always exists but requires “prudence and coolness of judgment for its effective functioning” (Hobhouse 1944 p.130). In this regard, the concept of natural harmony is related to the idea of ​​organic conception in that individual freedom contributes to the organic conception which further builds a harmonious society. Another liberal idea presented here is the “conception of equality”. Interestingly, Hobhouse diverts his consideration of equality from the normal construct of equality before a law to an entirely new concept where he calls it “equality of opportunity” (Hobhouse 1944 p.131). Equality of opportunity holds that inequality of effective treatment is based on the common good which is “the sum total of social conditions that enable people, or individuals, to achieve their fulfillment more fully and more easily”.