Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

380

Date

2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Political Science

Committee Chair

Sharon Stanley

Committee Member

Matthias Kaelberer

Committee Member

Detraz Nicole

Abstract

From self-sovereignty to individual independence, freedom is about control. When people want freedom, they yearn for exclusive control over their life. Liberal institutions, from democracy to market economies, however, do not offer people control. Instead, liberal machinery outsources control to a collective, invisible power. Far fom control, chaos governs liberal society. In the earliest stages of development, liberalism did serve the pursuit of freedom because liebral reforms focused on the destruction of controlling power from above, i.e. the expansion of liebrty. Because controlling onself first requires being controlled by no one lese, liberty is the first, but incomplete, step toward freedom. After these first stages, however, the relationship breaks down. Liberalism can only liberate; it cannot cultivate the self-power at the heart of freedom. By continuing to promise a freedom liberalism cannot deliver, those who continue to wed liberalism and freedom undermine liberal society and sow the seeds of disaster.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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