Later Modern Liberalism

• Throughout the mid-late 20th century, modern liberalism continued to evolve, receiving its most comprehensive justification and implementation in the post WW2 era. This period saw influential thinkers like John Rawls and Betty Friedan developing and providing robust philosophical justifications for modern liberalism
• Modern liberalism developed during this period to include constitutional reform to engage democratic governance, social liberalism to address issues of civil rights and social equality, and the practical application of these ideas in the establishment of the welfare state in the UK
• Rawls provided a detailed justification and defence of modern liberalism in ‘A Theory of Justice’

  He developed the concept and liberal justification for an enabling state that used progressive taxation and substantial public spending to establish a robust safety net. This framework was designed to facilitate true positive freedom for all individuals, ensuring not just negative freedom but also capacity to utilise one’s freedom effectively
• Rawl’s support for Keynesian economics was also clear in his advocacy for state intervention in managing economic cycles and promoting general welfare, recognising the limitations of laissez-faire capitalism
• In defending this modern liberal approach, Rawls emphasised that it was not a ‘surrender to socialism’. Instead, he argued that redistributing wealth within a capitalist framework and creating a society where the poor and disadvantaged are supported was both rational and consistent with liberal values
• For Rawls, such a society enables all individuals ,regardless of their socio-economic status, to exercise their individualism and enjoy genuine freedom


  He justified this stance through his ‘veil of ignorance’ thought experiment that asks individuals to design a society without any knowledge of their own position within it
• Rawls theorised that under this veil of ignorance rational individuals would create a society that safeguards the least well-off, ensuring a fair distribution of resources and opportunities . This approach, Rawls argued, would lead to a just society where freedom and equality are not only promised by actively realised for everyone, thus encapsulating the essence of a modern, liberal and just society