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Some Theoretical coordinates of radical Liberalism
Author(s) -
Lictenstein Peter M.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
american journal of economics and sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1536-7150
pISSN - 0002-9246
DOI - 10.1111/j.1536-7150.1984.tb01747.x
Subject(s) - liberalism , egalitarianism , individualism , politics , pluralism (philosophy) , democracy , law and economics , political philosophy , private property , solidarity , classical liberalism , political science , ambiguity , sociology , law , epistemology , philosophy , linguistics
A bstract . The term radical liberalism is frequently used to describe a particular branch of liberal social theory. However, a great deal of ambiguity normally surrounds the use of this term. A working definition of radical liberalism can be constructed by first isolating the key principles of liberalism These are individualism, private property , and political democracy. The initial impulse of radical liberalism comes from its critique of these principles. In particular, radical liberals see a contradiction between political democracy, which extends human rights , and private property, which abridges human rights. Finally, radical liberalism can best be defined to represent six theoretical propositions: pluralism, developmental (as opposed to possessive) individualism, solidarity, egalitarianism, participatory democracy , and social transformation.