Similarities and Differences Between Minimal-State and Active-State Liberals

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Haidt’s perception of liberalism
Colbert’s perception of liberalism
References

Introduction

In general, liberals are credited with championing the cause of freedom based on the assumption that people are rational enough to have the freedom of shaping their beliefs and behavior with minimal interference. However, minimal-state liberals and active-state liberals display some significant similarities and differences, especially when moral psychology is considered.

Modern philosophers and psychologists have attempted to develop a clear line between the two forms of liberalism. In this paper, a moral-political psychology is discussed with respect to the perspectives of two modern philosophers- Jonathan Haidt and the Colbert Report on government raid on Rawsome foods in Venice, CA. The purpose of the discussion is to identify the differences and similarities between the two forms of liberalism based on a modern concept.

Haidt’s perception of liberalism

Considering Haidt’s talk in the video clip ‘TED Talk on the moral roots of liberal and conservative politics (Haidt, 2008)’, it is evident that the talk contains a number of key issues. First, Haidt has cited the renowned psychologist Steve Pinker in arguing that the blank slate presents one of the worst psychological ideas ever brought forward.

According to this perspective, it is quite clear that the human mind comes into limelight with a lot of organization prior to an experience. The claim holds true, despite the fact that such organization is largely plastic and prone to molding by the experience. This statement is quite agreeable in the modern philosophical context although Haidt does not provide a clear explanation of the term ‘experience’ (Haidt, 2008).

In his presentation, Haidt has mentioned that both minimal-state and active-state liberals significantly demonstrate high degree of differences in openness to experience. In fact, this is considered as one of the five main personality traits in psychology. According to Haidt (2010), personality traits are perceived as being one of the factors that is almost exclusively determined by the genetic factors.

In fact, Haidt argues from almost the same perspective as psychologists, McCrae and Costa. This argument is somewhat not agreeable in this context, as it appears to be an over-exaggeration of the role of genes in psychology. Although political traits run in families, such as in the Kennedy, Bush and Adams families, the claim is still arguable on the context of analyzing and comparing openness to the genetic inheritance of political ideologies in families. In this case, the minimal-state and active-state liberals tend to disagree on the role of genes in openness and inheritance of political traits.

Colbert’s perception of liberalism

In his report on the government raid on Rawsome Foods in Venice, CA, Stephen Colbert (2010), displays aspects that add to the differences and similarities in the perceptions of freedom between active-state and minimal state liberals. For instance, in the video showing his presentation of the report, Colbert is quoted saying that ‘liberty is under siege’ (Colbert, 2010).

Here, he argues that by raiding the premises, the local, state and federal authorities have interfered with the people’s rights and freedoms to choose the types of foods they take. Actually, this statement by Colbert displays a significant difference between the two types of liberals (Colbert, 2010).

For instance, while minimal-state liberals believe that people should have the total rights and freedoms to choose the items they use (such as foods and drinks), active-state liberals tend to believe in controlled freedom as long as the control aims at protecting the safety and well being of the public.

References

Colbert, S. (2010). Rawsome Foods Raid: Federal government declares war on raw milk by raiding Rawsome Foods in Venice, CA. Web. Colbert Nation, CA. Web.

Haidt, J. (2008). The moral roots of liberals and conservatives. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!

Similarities and Differences Between Minimal-State and Active-State Liberals

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)