Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Freedom And The Ideal Republican State: Kant, Jefferson, And The Place Of Individual Freedom In The Republican Constitutional State, Theresa A. Creighton
Freedom And The Ideal Republican State: Kant, Jefferson, And The Place Of Individual Freedom In The Republican Constitutional State, Theresa A. Creighton
Philosophy Theses
Of the questions concerning the many great minds of the European Enlightenment, the question of what constitutes right and proper government perhaps had the most enduring influence on the world stage. Both Thomas Jefferson and Immanuel Kant attempted to answer the question of what constitutes right government, in particular by basing the system upon the idea of human freedom as an inalienable right. This project is an attempt to compare the systems proposed by these two authors, as well as to critique each on its ability to protect and foster individual freedom. It is my opinion that neither manages to …
Aristotelian Liberal Virtues, Joseph W. Slade, Iv
Aristotelian Liberal Virtues, Joseph W. Slade, Iv
Philosophy Theses
I analyze the potentially self-destructive tension inherent in liberalism between conceptions of negative liberty and positive liberty. In doing so, I utilize Aristotle’s theory of virtue to show that virtue is the best method of resolving this tension. In addition, I demonstrate that liberal virtues are best construed as virtues of intellect to be exercised in the public sphere. In particular, I show the importance of not construing liberal virtues as virtues of character (often referred to as moral virtues), because advocating such virtues is, in fact, contrary to the central tenets of liberalism. That is, I argue that it …