Karl Marx And John Stuart Mill

Liberty as the oxford dictionary definition is ‘The right or power to do as one chooses’ or ‘A right or privilege granted by authority.’ In politics, we know it as the freedom from government pressure to do as one wants, as long as what one wants does no harm to other people. The Social Contract Theory associated with Hobbes in modern political theory, states that although the monarch has power, it is the law that gives power to the King and not the King that gives power to the law. This can be applied to modern times in that by enforcing laws, it gives freedom to the individual within the parameters of the state that provides stability to the laws. Modern Liberalists believe in the popular sovereignty, i.e. governments should be formed by

Mill developed the theory that governments should be assessed on the ‘utility in the largest sense, grounded on the permanent interest of man as a progressive being.’ This means that governments should be evaluated on their ability to enable individuals to express and progress in their own way in order to achieve a higher form of human happiness. Mill believed that Liberty should be a human right as it would liberate diversity of interests to benefit the individual and nurture moral freedom and rationality which would lead to creative, social and intellectual progress for society. As this progress continues, Mill encourages the adaptation of social institutions to the time and place where they operate. Individuality was the main point in Mill’s theories as he felt the best people were people who had critically and personally thought out their beliefs without the interference of others and their influences. These people are best as

He believed in opposition to that view that real freedom and cultivation of oneself could be found in the relation one has with others rather than their isolation from others to form their own opinions. Marx believed that society was prevented from freedom by the inequality of people and that the fundamental truth of a society and time could be judged by their capability to provide for human material needs. This leads to the rise of antagonism between classes. By creating a classless society of everyone earning the same this erases hostility and progresses human improvement. Marx also believed in the equality of the sexes as he saw all people as equals for the sake of progress in society and laid the foundation for socialist