Analysis of Concepts Brought out by Marx, Smith, Mill and Walzer - Essay Example

These rights granted the citizens a level of liberty but it was not sufficient. However, governments objected a second step to set a societal check committee. Setting it up would ensure that the government did not use power to oppress its subjects. In addition, Mill describes a different era of governance when people believed that they achieved liberty. This is the era when the citizens chose leaders who would represent their opinion in the government. The leaders represented the opinion and views of the citizens, keeping their personal views to themselves.

Although the citizens felt more represented by this form of governance, it brought about the controlling power of the majority and this denied the self-cultivating autonomous individual the right to exercise his or her freedom to hold and practice a different opinion from what the majority holds. Society exerts the compulsion on an individual to follow the opinion of the majority. Mill refers to this control as worse than that of tyrannies. According to Mill, society should not hold the majority’s opinion as absolute truth.

The majority can be wrong at times, whereas the minority opinion is right. In most cases, accepting of the majority’s opinion is without reason (Jones 27). In addition, refuting of the minority’s opinion is without meaningful analysis. . According to Mill, absolute liberty should be an expression of one’s conscience and should entail freedom of thought and feeling. In addition, one should have the liberty to express and make public his opinion as well as pursue his or her interests and associate freely with a group.

Society should set each individual free to exercise creativity in thought and action. This will encourage diversity in society. Walzer expressed his views on the continuous struggle to achieve equality in society. In his opinion, there are many inequalities in the world because people possess the things that they do not honestly deserve. A great majority of people having a lot of money have not worked for it. Once they are in possession of money, they get access to a wide variety of goods and services.

Essentially, some people in possession of certain goods do not deserve them at all. Some doctors buy certificates without the right academic qualifications. Others get access to power because they have money. Walzer wrote his essay in response to Kristol’s ideas and questions (Jones 29). According to Walzer, equality is important in society and is achievable if distribution of goods and services depends on need and qualification. His illustration of the wealthy accessing medical services because they have money and not because of health issues shows the irony in society.

It is clear that some people have access to services and goods they do not need. Logically, only the sick and not the wealthy should have access to medical services. If services and goods are only accessible to those in need, a level of equality in society is attainable. Other goods should come into an individual’s possession when they qualify to own them. In addition, one should work hard enough to