Society

• Locke:

  -Unclear as to whether he thought equality should be extended to women

  -Social contract theory: all people have intrinsic value and thus must have freedom

  -Individuals possess natural rights: right to life, liberty and property

  -Religious freedom of individuals

  -Negative freedom/Liberty- individuals should only face gov't restraint when their actions potentially negatively affect others
• Wollstonecraft:

  -Argued against traditional gender roles

  -Men and women should have the same legal and political rights in a society

  -Negative freedom/Liberty- individuals should only face gov't restraint when their actions potentially negatively affect others

  -Free and equal access to education for all members of society including women

  -Ideas align with the Social contract theory

  -Critical of the patriarchy

  -Society to advance with greater access to education
• Stuart Mill:

  -Harm principle

  -Negative freedom/Liberty- individuals should only face gov't restraint when their actions potentially negatively affect others

  -Argued that just because a view was widely held across society did not make it correct

  -Development of the individual the way for society to progress

  -Utilitarianism

  -Social contract theory: all people have intrinsic value and thus must have freedom
• Rawls:

  -Society must be just and guarantee a life worth living

  -Far beyond the right to pursue happiness and guarantees a reasonable level of comfort

  -Rejected Utilitarianism as it did not consider individual's desires and goals
• Rawls:

  -Development on social contract theory: economic justice as well as equal entitlement to basic rights and liberties

  -Society should limit the difference between outcomes for the best and worst off

  -Veil of ignorance: society is able to be fair when no-one would care what circumstances they are born into- therefore create adequate housing, safe neighbourhoods, good education and an unbiased criminal system