Topic

YS-Politics – Engines of Moral repression, Hobhouse’s Organic Conception & Conservatism as Reactionary

Instructions

Part 1:

Read Chapter 1 of “OnLiberty.pdf”.

Read Chapter One of On Liberty. Write one paragraph dealing with one of the questions below (400 words; 3 Harvard references)

What do you think Mill meant by ‘engines of moral repression’?
How does Mill relate ‘engines of moral repression’ to the ‘tyranny of public opinion’ and ‘the ascendant class’?
What are the implications of Mill’s ‘harm principle’ for limiting the influence of public opinion or engines of moral repression over civilised individuals?
How might Mill reconcile liberty for civilised individuals with ‘despotism’ as a legitimate mode of governing barbarians?
How might Mill have accounted for some people being ‘civilised’ while others remained barbaric? How might barbarians be improved?

Part 2:

Read Hobhouse in http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28278/28278-h/28278-h.htm

Write one paragraph dealing with one of the questions below (300 words; 3 Harvard references)

In what sense is social liberalism social?
What is Hobhouse’s ‘organic’ conception of our relationships with one another?
What is Hobhouse’s view of our ‘common good’?
What kinds rights are compatible with the common good?

Part 3:

Read RobinCorey.pdf

Write one paragraph dealing with the questions below (300 words; 3 Harvard references)

For the Corey Robin reading, give an account of conservatism as ‘reactionary’, i.e as reacting to democratic challenges to public and private power and authority.

Answer Preview

Hobhouse’s organic conception thrives on the notion that an element cannot be separated from the whole unit and maintains its functionality. Similarly, a person cannot withdraw from society in the quest for personal progress; the person will not succeed. The person’s life depends on the lives of others in the society; thus, any deviation from such a norm will adversely affect the life of that person who seeks individual progress away from the society (Holthaus, 2014). Therefore, as much as individual growth and progress is advocated for, it has to be done with the conformity of society’s activities. As much as Mills thinks that personal development is strictly dependent on individual commitments and that the society acts as a repressive agent, it would be wise to note that society works for the benefits of all individuals. Personal development is an aspect that is anchored by specific societal elements like mentality and moral well-being, and a person can only attain them when in society (Tyler, 2017). Any thought that a person could achieve these aspects outside society is misleading. Mill argued that “I might claim anything and everything. If my claim is of right it is because it is sound, well-grounded, in the judgment of an impartial observer” (Hobhouse, 2009).

Word Count: 1200