An introduction to liberalism

Liberalism is well known for its theories promoting individual human freedom, in an economic and political context, as the basic construct through which society should be organised. Attaching the ‘liberal’ tag to streams of liberalism which propagate illiberal ideas – liberal forms of feminism, nationalism, socialism and conservatism – or have scarce connection to the fundamental precepts of liberalism, does not imply these can be taken to be a pure form of liberalism. What some consider as tension within liberalism is in fact entirely consistent with the internal logic of this ideology, in spite of the admittedly contradictory results obtained when liberal ideas are translated to the contemporary political spectrum. Liberalism cannot be analysed as a traditional ideology because it is a philosophical standpoint developed through the ages and serves no particular class interests.

Initially driven in the 1700s through the political economy of Adam Smith and the political philosophy of Frédéric Bastiat, liberalism has continually refined itself through the centuries. Although some peripheral aspects of the ideology may have changed, its core belief – that emphasising individual outcomes will lead to more optimal results than structuring society around groups – has not wavered. At its heart is not necessarily the support of majority power over minority groups, but rather a belief that the inclusion of minority groups within an ideological framework would lead to confounded decision making. This is because in any society, everyone is part of a minority group, be it based upon geographical location, age, sex, religion, caste, food consumption, medical state, or any other defining characteristic that could plausibly result in an organised group of people sharing the same attribute.

Such refusal to give special status to groups is again a strong reflection of the focus on the protection of individuals. Given an individual, concepts such as rule of law and the separation of powers advocated by Montesquieu can work to ensure the protection of human rights. Justice, in the sense that all are equal under the law, is thus a key pillar of liberal thought. This concept of justice does not concern itself with whether parties to a dispute agree with the law, merely that the law is applied fairly. A frequently cited example of the failure of governance based on groups is the collectivisation crisis of the 1920s, where Russians starved as a result of communist central planning. Modern liberalism therefore stands in stark contrast to group focused ideologies such as socialism.