key thinkers with strands
John Locke - Classical
John Stuart Mill - can be used for both
Mary Wollstonecraft - lib fem
John Rawls - modern liberal
Betty Friedan - lib fem
john locke key publication
A letter concerning toleration
Second treatise of government
Two treatise of government
john locke key ideas
- Government should be limited and based on the consent from the people (directly opposing Hobbes)
- People should have equal rights, and government should be tolerant of people’s private beliefs
- The state is there to serve individuals, not the other way around. It should protect people’s freedoms.
- Believe in rational individuals who do not need a government to guide their decisions. Humans are capable of making personal progress, our abilities are not fixed at birth
john stuart mill key publication
On Liberty
JSM key ideas
- ‘harm principle’: strict view of individual freedom and limited government; government can only restrict freedoms to protect people from harming each other
- Defended equal rights (campaigned for right to vote for women)
- Promoted tolerance for minority views
- Supported democracy, but concerned about ‘mob rule’, the tyranny of the majority 🡪 in favour of giving more votes to educated citizens
mary wollstonecraft key publication
A vindication of the rights of woman
mary wollstonecraft key ideas
- Women are entitled to the same rights as men
- All individuals, including women are rational thinkers
- Supported foundational equality (all humans born equal) → All individuals should have equal rights (including voting
rights), and that should include women - Women should be able to choose to educate themselves and have a career, but may opt to be housewife
john rawls key publication
A theory of Justice
john rawls key ideas
- Society must be just (fair) and guarantee all people a life worth living 🡪 government should provide a decent standard of living. Used the analogy of the ‘veil of ignorance’ to make this argument for fairness.
- A fair society is one with genuinely equal opportunities, provided by an ‘enabling state’.
- Accepts some inequality, but aims for minimal inequality between rich and poor
veil of ignorance
John Rawls also developed a thought experiment referred to as the veil of ignorance, which asks individuals to imagine themselves in an original position of not knowing their own social status or situations in life, this hypothetical scenario allowed individuals to make fair decisions.
friedan key publication
The feminine mystique
friedan key ideas
- All individuals are of equal worth, and should therefore have equal rights
- Women should be able to choose to educate themselves and have a career, but may opt to be housewives
- Not biological characteristics, but social ideas of what is acceptable (e.g. having a career) restrict women
