The Concept of Liberalism - Term Paper Example

Liberalism and Its Tolerance of Cultural Diversity Introduction Liberalism can be considered as one of the forerunners of political theories and thebasis of leadership of different organizations and leadership through the history of governance. The main purpose of the study conducted is to be able to present the definition of liberalism with the focus on the provisions related to cultural diversity. This can be attributed to the fact that cultural diversity can be considered as one of the basic dimensions in the political structure affecting the whole system (Gaus, 2000). The objectives of the research conducted then revolve around the presentation of a particular point of view regarding the concept of liberalism. Upon the determination of the constraints and coverage of liberalism, the focus on the cultural diversity is presented. Then the said concept is analyzed on the basis of the liberal view. The Background of Liberal Thoughts Liberalism had evolved through the ages but can be defined on the basis of the foundation of the concept which is the process of working towards national goals and objectives while upholding the needs and individual goals of the people. In the English region there are two types of liberalism. On the basis of the English Liberalism the main focus is the democratic principles to be able to give attention to the goals and aspirations of both the people and the government. On the other hand, the French Liberalism in relation to the continental liberal thought is focused on the more conventional and classical ideas related to liberalism (De Ruggiero, 1959). The liberal thought is connected to a number of aspects in the political and social facet of the nation and the community. This can be attributed to the fact that there are different factors that comprise the leadership and governance of a nation. One of this is the cultural aspect. This is the main focus of the study undertaken. The determination and analysis of the factors related to the culture can be considered essential specifically in the evolution of the English liberalism wherein the combination of the two distinct focuses of the English and French Liberalism can be observed. The Focus on Cultural Diversity Cultural diversity can be considered as one of the most influential factors in the governance of a nation. This can be attributed to the fact that it can affect the point of view and the attitude of the nation which can in turn in the achievement of the goals that are set by the country. Through the point of view of the liberalism thoughts and principles, it can be considered that the goals that are set for the nation coincides with the needs and aspirations of the members of the society and the population (Christman, 1991; Deveaux, 2000a; 2000b). There are different ways to be able to describe the cultural diversity in relation to the theory of liberalism. There are different views which include the view related to democracy, socialism and even religion. In relation to democracy, the theory of liberalism can be considered that due to the fact that liberalism is the main foundation of the democratic thoughts, the goals of the individual members of the society has the freedom to pursue their won goals in relation to the success and the achievement of goals of the whole nation. In addition to the focus on the individual goals of the people, is the right of each members of the society to govern. This can be attributed to the view that the people and the government have similar goals (De Ruggiero, 1959; Halstead, 1996). The said principle can be related to the cultural diversity in a number of ways. One of the said ways is related to the fact that goals and aspirations of the people are considered as included in the fundamental priorities of the nation. If the individual rights of the people are considered, the said freedom can be practiced in different forms. One of the said ways for a person to practice the said right is through the expression of the cultural practices and traditions (De Ruggiero, 1959; Preiss, 2004) There are other forms of practices but the main focus of the study undertaken is related to the tolerance of the liberal theories on the cultural diversity. The Tolerance of Liberalism on Cultural Diversity The theory of liberalisms can be considered as a political school of thought that critic view as a lack of discipline and focus regarding the needs of the whole nation. This is contrary to the focus of the people on their individual needs, rights and goals. In relation to tolerance then, the liberalism is thought to provide the assurance of the maximum level of tolerance (Ternasky, 1994). On the basis of such view, it can be considered that constant consideration of the needs of the people will eventually lead to the disintegration of the nation and the failure in governance. But prior to the expression of such evaluation, it is important to determine the extent of tolerance of the liberalism on the cultural diversity of the people. On the basis of the present generation and the factors revolving around the liberal thoughts it can be perceived that the said thoughts cannot be applied and are needed to be updated since the liberal theories had been established to be able to help the people recover from the war during the early periods. For the matter the provisions on the rights and the goals of every individual are given priority. Included in the tolerance of the liberal theory are the practice of individual interest as long as there is consciousness on the right of other people thus to coexist (Ternasky, 1994). To this respect then, the theory of liberalism cannot be a way to attest certain acts that can be judged as disrespect to the rights and goals of other members of the community. The view on the practice of liberalism can bring about conflicts specifically on the basis of the diversity in the cultural practices of the people comprising a particular nation or community. The advocates of the said view presented the said view serves as an attempt to create agreement in a situation wherein there are too much conflicts and unrest specifically based on the differences of the people can be seen. The said tolerance of the liberal thoughts with regards to the cultural diversity can be exhibited on different cases in different countries. The Cases Exhibiting the Effects of Liberal Policies on Cultural Diversity There are different cases that can be presented regarding the interaction and relationship between the Liberalism and the cultural diversity. One of the cases that can be viewed is the crisis that had been experienced in Canada wherein the Quebec community presented the need to be recognized on the basis of having French culture. In relation to the said scenario, the said community required the need for elucidation of the laws on the basis of their cultural root (Richmond, 1995). The situation created conflicts specifically on the basis that the country is federal and due to the cultural beliefs and practices of the said province, the political state of the nation is affected. The tolerance level of the liberal thoughts can be distinctly perceived in the said situation since the Liberals in the locality is fighting for the preservation of the French-based culture and practices. What is more interesting is the rise of the group towards local election in order to uphold their beliefs (Richmond, 1995). The said case exhibits the extent to where liberalism can tolerate the cultural diversity of that people. Although it can be hard to be able to have different cultural groups coexist, the said political theory works on the basis of the said view. The tolerance of liberalism on the cultural diversity then can be considered at a high level since it aims to fight for the rights of every group to be able to exist (Avnon and De-Shalit, 1999). The said view then can be considered as idealistic and can lead to more tensions due to the expectation of the people that every right they present can be upheld with minimum limitations. Conclusion Based on the study conducted, the main focus which is the level of tolerance of the liberal thoughts and principles on the achievement of the goals of the nation with cultural diversity leads to the conclusion that it is above a justifiable limit. For that matter the application of the said principles in the absence of influence from other political thoughts can lead to more conflicts. The said conflicts can be attributed to the fact that the cultural groups lacks the capability to bend adopt because every rights that they uphold that is limited by other form of leadership other than the liberalism can be translated as suppression of their rights of cultural expression and freedom (Deveaux, 2000a). Reference: Avnon, D. and De-Shalit, A. (eds.) (1999) Liberalism and Its Practice. London: Routledge. Christman, J. (1991) Liberalism and Individual Positive Freedom. Ethics, 101(2), pp.343-359. De Ruggiero, G. (1959) The History of European Liberalism. Boston: Beacon Press. Deveaux, M. (2000a) Conflicting Equalities? Cultural Group Rights and Sex Equality. Political Studies, 48(3), 2000, pp.522-539. Deveaux, M. (2000b) Cultural Pluralism and Dilemmas of Justice. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Gaus, G. F. (2000) Political Concepts & Political Theories. Oxford: Westview Press. Goodin, R. E. (1990). Liberalism and the Best-Judge Principle. Political Studies, 38, pp.181-195. Halstead, M. (1996) Liberalism, Multiculturalism and Toleration. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 30(2), pp. 307-313. Kukathas, C. (2003) The Liberal Archipelago: A Theory of Diversity and Freedom. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. Laborde, C. (2001) The Culture(s) of the Republic Nationalism and Multiculturalism in French Republican Thought. Political Theory, 29(5), 2001, pp.716-735. Mansfield, H. C. (1995) Self-Interest Rightly Understood. Political Theory, 23(1), pp.48-66. Preiss, J. (2004) Pluralism, Relativism and Cultural Rights. Human Rights Workshop 2004. Ramsay, M. (2002) Pluralism and Gray’s “Liberal Syndrome.” Social Theory and Practice, 28, 2002. Richmond, S. (1995) Liberalism, Multiculturalism, and Art Education. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 29(3), (Autumn, 1995), pp. 15-25. Ternasky, P.L. (1994) On the Dissonance between Liberalism and Tolerance. Cornell University: Philosophy of Education Society. Read More