Liberalism -Concept, definitions, salent features ,pros and cons.

1. Liberalism
Dr.Mohammed Guthigar
Liberalism, is a political and economic doctrine that emphasizes individual autonomy, equality of
opportunity, and the protection of individual rights (primarily to life, liberty, and property),
originally against the state and later against both the state and private economic actors, including
businesses. Classical liberalism focuses more on liberty, or personal freedoms, while social
liberalism is more concerned with equality. Some examples of liberalism principles supported by
advocates include freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, civil rights, and
gender equality. To explore this concept, consider the following liberalism definition.
The intellectual founders of liberalism were the English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704), who
developed a theory of political authority based on natural individual rights and the consent of the
governed, and the Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith (1723–90), who argued that
societies prosper when individuals are free to pursue their self-interest within an economic system
based on private ownership of the means of production and competitive markets, controlled neither
by the state nor by private monopolies.
People first began embracing the concept of liberalism during the Age of Enlightenment, and it
grew in popularity because it rejected the social and political norms of time, which included state
religion and absolute monarchy. Seventeenth century British philosopher John Locke is credited
with being the “founding father” of liberalism, his writings having influenced the American
revolutionaries. Locke’s argument was that every man is entitled to “a natural right to life, liberty,
and property,” and that the government should not do anything to violate these rights.
Origin and Definitions:
The word liberal is derived from the Latin word liber which means free men, Liberalis is also a
derivative of liber. The central idea of all these words is freedom or liberty. Liberal also denotes
generosity or open-mindedness. Open-mindedness/generosity indicates liberty in taking food, drink,
social attitude, behaviour and selection of the alternatives.
Thus we find that freedom is always associated with the word liberal. In the middle Ages when the
French people used the word liber they meant that people will have freedom in respect of their
selection of alternatives and pursuit of thoughts and ideas.

2. Salient Features of Liberalism are as follows:
1. Recognition of Importance of Individual:
A belief in the absolute value of human personality and spiritual equality of the individual-
Liberalism accords to the individual a high position of importance. Individual is accepted as
the central point of all political, economic and social activities. It is meaningless to talk of
society minus individuals, because a society is nothing but a large and active group of
individuals. The society is a means to the end, which is the individual. Society is for the
individual and not the individual for the society.
2. Faith in Rationality of Individual:
A belief in the autonomy of the individual will- Liberalism has a firm faith in the intelligence and
rationality of individual. Being rational, every individual knows well what is good for him and what
is not. No person can be and should be forced to accept and follow such conventions, laws and
principles as do not conform to his logic and intellect. The supporters of Liberalism place emphasis
upon the organised intellectual power of human individual as the basis of all human progress and
development.
3. Opposition to Blind Faith and Tradition:
Medieval Age was bound down by superstitions and traditions. The political, economic and
religious institutions were looked upon as the ideals. The liberalists opposed these institutions and
prepared the way for further changes. The liberalists had little faith in superstitions and old
dogmatic traditions. They stood for a society free from superstitions and irrational traditions.
4. Support for Human Rights and Freedom:
The liberal thinkers support human rights and freedom. No State or society should abolish or
restrict them. The State is to protect all the rights. According to them the basic rights are: the right
to life, right to property and the rights to liberty, equality and justice.
5. Firm Support for Liberty:
The liberalists support liberty as the most cherished ideal. It includes the liberty of expression,
liberty of family, liberty of religion, economic liberty and social liberty. However, liberty is
conceptualised in a positive way. It is not defined as absence of restraints. It stands for some
rational restraints and seeks to eliminate irrational ones.

3. 6. State as the means, Individual as the End:
Liberalism regards State only as an institution which has been created for the comfort and full
development of the individuals inhabiting it. The State is the means and its aim is the development
of individual. According to Bentham, the aim of the State was to promote ‘the greatest happiness of
the greatest number’. Modern liberal thinkers consider the State as an instrument of general welfare
and justice.
7. Constitutional and Limited Government:
Liberalism supports constitutional and limited government. While looking upon State as the means
for individual development, liberalism does not favour the end of state or an undue limitation of the
power of the state and its government. Liberalism is opposed only the absolutism of the rulers.
To begin with, liberalism favoured limiting the powers of the government, but with the passage of
time it changed its own outlook and began to accept the role of the state as a hamonising factor
between individual good and the social welfare. However, it strongly advocates that every
government must function within its constitutional limits.
8. Support for Democracy:
Liberalism was born as a reaction against the absolutism of the rulers. It upheld democracy because
it alone could really ensure the rights and freedoms of all. According to Locke, “a government
should born out of the people’s consent and should be based on people’s consent.” Liberalism
believes in representative institutions, adult franchise, free and fair elections, independent, impartial
judiciary, rule of law and social welfare.
9. Faith in Secularism:
Liberalism supports the view that there should be no special religion of the state. All religions must
enjoy equal freedom. People belonging to all religions should enjoy equal rights and freedoms. A
very large number of countries all over the world now accept the secular views of liberalist.
10. Tolerance towards Dissent:
The liberalists tolerate dissent. They welcome opposition as an alternative point of view. They
believe not in the exercise of violence and force in politics, but in persuasion and consultation in
order to arrive at a decision. In a democracy, while the majority rule is an acceptable way of life,
the minorities are to have the right to work for and secure their interests.

4. 11. Pluralist Society:
The liberalists accept the pluralist nature of society. In a pluralist society, there are people
associated with all kinds of classes, castes, religions and cultures. Each class or sect or religion or
culture has its own interests and it is for the protection of their interests that men form groups and
associations. A State has to function among all these groups and associations.
A State must not keep in view the interests of any one group or association, but look upon all as
equals and serve the interests of all. The State must adopt a liberal attitude towards those who are in
minority. Modern Liberalism supports social, economic and political pluralism.
12. Faith in Liberalisation of Economy:
Initially liberalism favoured absence of state action in the spheres of business, trade and economy.
It favoured laisses faire, open competition and free trade. Later on, liberalism accepted the concept
of welfare state. Presently, it stands for privatization, free trade, liberalization, open competition,
free trade, market economy and globalization. It, however accepts the role of state in the economic
life of society.
13. Faith in Internationalism and World Brotherhood:
Liberalism supports internationalism, world peace and brotherhood of all people. Liberalism
believes in the motto ‘Live and let live’ liberal thinkers believe in the sovereignty of each State and
its indivisibility. They support the right of every State to develop itself without any consideration of
being big or small, rich or poor and developed or underdeveloped. It urges all nations to get
together and try to find solutions to all human problems through international co-operation. It
stands for world peace, internationalism and globalisation.
Every person has a right to life, liberty, freedom to choose, and a right to pursue happiness.
Liberalism is a political and moral ideology based on equality and liberty of people. Modern
liberalism focuses on protecting the rights of people, Promote economic activities, protect the
environment, and enhancing freedom of individuals in a particular country. Let’s take a look at the
pros and cons of liberalism in a country.

5. Pros:
1. Promotes economic growth: With less government regulation to inhibit business growth,
businesses will be productive and innovative thus promoting economic growth.
2. Eliminates slavery: Liberalism ensures we have a great country free from injustices and slavery.
3. Stable economy: Liberalism results in a stable economy with fewer risks of recession and less
wealth disparity. Many people are able to obtain an adequate amount of income with fewer people
becoming richer.
4. Few regulations: Liberalism ensures there are few regulations and promoting individual liberty.
Having a few restrictions on minimum wage enables companies to set up their wages which makes
them competitive in the marketplace.
5. Preserve human rights: Infringing human rights is against the liberal philosophies and they
fight to ensure the rights of individuals are preserved.
6. Equality: Liberalism is individualistic and each individual’s moral values should be treated
equally to moral ideologies of others. The state ensures there are equal opportunities for all
regardless of gender, status or age.
7. Government involvement: Liberals ensures government involvement in the conservation of the
environment and promote opportunities to the citizens.
8. Collective security: Liberal countries aim at preserving the liberty of their members and promote
order and justice within the communities. Having a collective security promotes democracy and
free market for people to trade freely.
9. Global harmony: Liberalism promotes peace and harmony among countries. Liberal trade
markets create international harmony and cooperation.
10. Fair competition: Minimal state regulations ensure there is a perfect competition and also
ensure there are no barriers to entry as well as reduce monopoly.
Cons:
1. Unfair business activities: If businesses are left alone without any regulations or restriction,
they may not automatically formulate themselves into the best and fair formation.
2. Exploitation of resources: Fewer regulations on business economic practices results in
exploitation of natural resources.
3. Market Inconsistency: The government cannot easily control market growth, there are cases
where the market is unstable and experiencing a recession or affected by human behaviors making
it difficult to predict the competitive market system.

6. 4. Unfair wages: Lack of restrictions on minimum wage rate may allow some companies pay less
wages which cannot cover the cost of living. This also inhibit consumerism.
5. Over-dependence: It results in over-dependence or over-reliance on the government to meet
social, economic, political and personal needs of individuals in the country.
6. Government criticism: The government receives a lot of critics that it commits into a lot of
expensive programs which yield unintended consequences and create more social problems than it
addresses.
7. Extensive social protection: Extensive social protection can affect the overall economy of the
country since many people may decide to live off government support instead of looking for jobs.
8. Unattractive investments: State control of the economy and health care facilities of the country
can result in unattractive investments.
9. Moral issues: Liberalism can bring unhealthy and morally objectionable problems or practices.
10. Cultural issues: Liberal emphasis on human rights and freedom of choice/speech has affected
the inherited restrictions, and it has influenced the changing characters of the western society in
terms of lifestyle, mode of eating and dressing.
References:
http://www.preservearticles.com/essay/essay-on-the-salient-features-of-liberalism/30539
https://www.prosancons.com/politics/pros-and-cons-of-liberalism/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/liberalism
https://legaldictionary.net/liberalism/