Name: Tsoi Lee Sha Sharon
UID: 303 505 0559
What is the difference between the liberal and socialist interpretation of equality?
Socialism refers to a myriad of ideologies that the distribution of wealth and property are under the control of the government or the community. It also refers to a broad array of political movements aiming at reaching social and economic equality and cooperation.
The word liberal is derived from the Latin liber that means free and is signified as "worthy of a free man" in the eighteenth century. Liberalism is defined as a broad array of political movements with the purpose of bringing freedom, liberty, equality and security to every individual in society.
Equality is defined as the state of being equal, with …show more content…
Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent a mere number. Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude." (Alexis de Tocqueville) From the quote, it is important to note that liberalism advocates individual freedom and equal rights before the law among every individual. Yet, socialism advocates the opposite. It advocates collective rights and the government redistributes resources. It promotes public ownership. The role of government and community is influential and dominated in socialism while limited government in liberalism. Besides, the supporters of liberalism and socialism differ. The liberalist was originally espoused by the middle class which included the merchants, entrepreneurs and the professionals. The socialism was originally espoused by the working class. As the liberalists and socialists stand for different social classes of society, they often have opposite views regarding different values and social