Liberalism, as a political and moral philosophy, is fundamentally concerned with promoting individual liberty. It is an ideology rooted in the belief that individuals should be free to pursue their ideas and interests with minimal interference. According to a text on the subject, “For more than three centuries, the hallmark of liberalism has been the attempt to promote individual liberty.” This broad goal, however, has led to internal disagreements among liberals regarding the nature of liberty and the means to achieve it. As the text elaborates, “Indeed, this disagreement is now so sharp that liberalism is split into two rival camps of ‘neoclassical’ and ‘welfare’ liberals.”
Feudalism, in stark contrast, was a hierarchical system that existed in Europe during the Middle Ages, where the majority of the population were serfs working land owned by a small class of nobles and monarchs. The words “liberal” and “liberty” are both derived from the Latin liber, meaning “free,” which is antithetical to the feudal bond of serfdom. This connection between liberalism and liberty is historically deep-rooted. ‘Liberal’ did not enter the vocabulary of politics until early in the nineteenth century… long after ‘liberty’ was widely used as a political term-and at least a century after ideas now regarded as liberal were in the air” (Ball et al., 2017, p.44).
Both Hobbes and Locke were liberals in the sense that they advocated for a political order that would protect certain fundamental aspects of individual liberty. Their ideas helped to lay the groundwork for liberal thought, which was later developed into the more recognizable forms of liberalism that emerged in the nineteenth century, as the text notes: “These early liberals shared a desire for a more open and tolerant society—one in which people would be free to pursue their own ideas and interests with as little interference as possible” (Ball, et al., 2017, p.44).
In conclusion, liberalism is an ideology centered on individual freedom, both in opposition to the constraints of feudalism and as a guiding principle for modern political structures. While Hobbes and Locke differed in their specifics, they contributed to the liberal notion that government should exist to serve the individual. This concept continues to evolve and influence political discourse today.
Reference
Ball, T., Dagger, R., & O’Neill, D. I. (2017). Political ideologies and the democratic ideal. Routledge.