Session #22 - Politics Part 3 - Liberalism and democracy

“Men being, as has been said, by nature, all free, equal and independent, no one can be put out of this estate, and subjected to the political power of another, without his own consent.”
― John Locke, Second Treatise of Government

“There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice. (Cambridge University Press (September 29, 1989)”
― Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de la Brède et de Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws

“The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.”
― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

## The Birth of Liberalism

Liberalism emerges as a response to absolute power, religious conflict, and arbitrary authority.

In this session, we explore the foundations of liberal democracies through three key thinkers, each addressing a different dimension of political power: legitimacy, institutions, and liberty.

## Core Thinkers

### John Locke

• Natural rights: life, liberty, property
• Government by consent
• Political power as conditional
• Right to resist illegitimate authority

### Montesquieu

• Separation of powers
• Liberty as protection from arbitrary rule
• Checks and balances
• Institutional restraint

### John Stuart Mill

• Individual liberty
• Harm principle
• Freedom of speech
• Tyranny of the majority

Introduction (15 minutes)
We start with a short introduction of the guests.

Questions to discuss: (1 hour and 45 minutes)

Locke related:

• If rights are “natural,” who decides today when they conflict?
• Does property still legitimize political power in a world of inherited wealth and financial abstraction?
• Would Locke recognize modern taxation, surveillance, or emergency powers as legitimate?
• Do we still believe in a real “right to resistance,” or only in theory?

Montesquieu related:

• Are separation of powers and checks still effective in today's estates?
• What is the difference between institutions and bureaucracies?
• Can power shift from institutions, to bureaucracies, to algorithms?
• How can liberal institutions survive permanent states of exception (crises, wars, pandemics)?
• Is slow decision-making a safeguard or a liability in the 21st century?
• Where does power concentrate today despite formal separation?

John Stuart Mill related:

• Is social pressure more coercive today than the state itself?
• How does “harm” according to Stuart Mill fit in an age of social media outrage?
• Can free speech survive when offense is treated as violence?
• Are we still willing to defend individuality or is moral conformity more important?
• Would Mill see oppression in our democratic times?

General critical questions:

• Is modern liberalism still about limiting power, or mainly about managing society?
• Can liberal democracies survive when large parts of the population no longer believe institutions are neutral?
• Is today’s crisis of liberalism a moral failure, an economic one, or an institutional one?
• Can liberal democracy exist outside Western historical conditions?
• Can liberalism tolerate movements that openly oppose it?
• Is liberalism too slow for the speed of modern politics and technology?

Critical questions from the right:

• Why do populist movements reject liberalism?
• If liberalism weakens borders and traditions, can it still demand loyalty?
• Has liberalism underestimated the political force of identity, culture, and belonging?
• Can liberal democracy defend itself without becoming illiberal?
• Is liberalism an external cultural imposition?

Critical questions from the left:

• When equality conflicts with liberty, which does liberalism choose?
• Should equality come from public institutions or activist movements?
• Is economic inequality undermining liberal legitimacy?
• Can liberal values be separated from US influence and power?
• Are anti-Western movements rejecting liberalism, or Western hypocrisy?

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