“To What Extent Do Contemporary Issues Challenge The Principles Of Liberalism?”

VIABILITY and CHALLENGES OF CONTEMPOARY LIBERALISM

OverviewClassical and Modern Liberalism are built on the principle of growth. Individual rights have grown as a result of political and economic gain. Rights continue to be redefined as issues in society rise and need to be addressed. We have seen much of Western society progress and have an incredible quality of life as a result of economic and social progress. However, serious problems are challenging the viability of liberalism. Debt, poverty, economic development and the environment, extremism, racism are some of the major global issues we are facing in the 21st century. So……how does liberalism respond to these issues facing our society today?

The IssueMany issues facing liberal democracies have

been problems for hundreds or thousands of years. Other issues in the 21st century did not exist when the liberalism was first conceived

These issues create old and new challenges for both individuals and governments

Question:If liberal principles have resulted in the

modern industrialized world, can they be harnessed to solve the problems of the industrialized world?

Think about this….

“liberalism contains the seeds of its own destruction.”

… Peter Berkowitz

Poverty

• “Who is responsible?”

• “What problems arise from poverty?”

• “How is poverty a threat to liberalism?”

POVERTY

• Poverty is felt by many in Canada and around the world

• Today 2.7 billion people live on less than $2 a day - 1.1 billion on less than $1 per day (abject/extreme poverty).

• 18 million people die each year from poverty-related causes.

POVERTY• Read pgs. 378-379 and answer the following

questions…

1. Why was the World Bank formed?

2. What is its current purpose or goal?

3. Is the World Bank achieving this goal? (evidence)

4. What are two criticisms of the World Bank?

5. What is the fundamental challenge that liberalism faces in regards to poverty?

ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES

Think about this….

“Is the environment a resource for your individual benefit or a common resource

for all to care for?”

“What role should citizens, corporations and governments play in response to

environmental issues?”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH-qO9RRchc

ENVIRONMENTALISMHow do we address these issues…. Climate change and global warming

Kyoto Protocol….Why did Canada leave? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hteKBxTocI

Arctic Issue……shipping lane; resources; Inuit culture; who has rights? (read pgs. 381-382)

Resource use and development Alberta Oil Sands Deforestation (Rain Forests, etc.)

Economic Development vs. Environmental Concerns The push for economic growth/progress has been at the

expense of the environment in developed nations and emerging world economies

India and China (rapid modernization and growing middle class)

GEOPOLTICS OF WATERAvailability of fresh water has decreased over

the past 50 years

Think about this….Who owns and controls the flow of and access to

fresh water?IF, we as a nation, as a province, decide to start

selling our water…..who benefits, who is harmed?Whose rights take precedence and who makes the

decisions?

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/flow-love-of-water/trailer

GEOPOLTICS OF WATER

CONSUMERISM• is a social and economic

order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever-greater amounts (materialism)

• Beginning in the 1990s, the most frequent reason given for attending college had changed to making a lot of money, outranking reasons such as becoming an authority in a field or helping others in difficulty

CONSUMERISMConsequences of consumerism

Exploitation of the developing world Resources and people (sweat shops, etc.) Has led to negative sentiments to industrialized nations

and liberalism (Western nations) Rich/Poor Gap

Global and national scale Distribution of wealth

Outsourcing Industrial nations losing jobs because of cheaper labor

costs in other countries (manufacturing, telecommunications, etc.)

Debt Low interest rates and living beyond our means (credit

cards…$3500/Canadian ….$12000/American) Foreclosures and poverty

INTERNET and CENSORSHIP

The Internet presents new challenges to the liberal values of …

• Freedom of expression• Self-interest• Freedom of extrusive

intrusion from the government

Is it practical to uphold these values in today’s society when responding to the issues related to the Internet?

Things to consider…• anonymity• executions• child pornography• promote violence (racial,

terror, etc)• “Kick a Ginger Day”…..pg.

387

Consider former Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker words, long before the internet was developed…..

“Freedom includes the right to say what others may object to and resent…..The essence of citizenship is to be tolerant of strong and provocative words”

…..John Diefenbaker, 1970

“Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong”

…..John Diefenbaker, 1958

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lcXxL4mnp0

EXTREMISMA belief system outside the mainstream spectrum

of beliefs

May advocate actions to achieve a goal that are considered politically, economically, socially or morally unacceptable

The judgment of “extremism” depends one’s point of view

Extremists believe they are acting out of a set of principled beliefs …..they do not see themselves as extremist

Challenges liberal beliefs about the structure of society, interpretations of history, and even visions of the future

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLNhPMQnWu4

Extremism challenges liberalism’s toleranceFor example…

• Freedom of expression is challenged when extremists profess intolerant views that sometimes promote hatred toward others

Think about this….“Is it acceptable for a liberal democracy to enact laws that prevent intolerance at the expense of freedom of expression?”

POLITICAL/ECONOMIC EXTREMISM

Tea Party movement,  a conservative, right wing, social and political movement that emerged in 2009 in the United States, generally opposing excessive taxation, immigration, and government intervention in the private sector.

Occupy Wall Street• The main issues raised

by Occupy Wall Street, a left wing movement, were social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the perceived undue influence of corporations on government—particularly from the financial services sector.

• The OWS slogan, We are the 99%, refers to income inequality and wealth distribution

Other forms of extremism include….

• Terrorism

• Religious extremism

• Environmental extremism

• National extremism (ultra-nationalism; protectionism; etc.)

PANDEMICS

PANDEMICSOutbreak of disease on a global scale

Black Plague (middle age Europe)Spanish Flu (1918-1919)SARSSwine Flu (H1N1)

With pandemics liberal democracies face challenges and choices limiting travel, visitors, immigration = greater

protectionbut

could lead to reduced trade and development, restricted freedoms of citizens, potential for other human rights violations

economic ramifications…..pg. 388

PANDEMICSW.H.O. – World Health Organization

authority for health within the United Nations It is responsible for providing leadership on global health

matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends and disease outbreaks.

“In the 21st century, health is a shared

responsibility, involving reasonable access to

essential care and collective defence

against transnational threats”