Moreover, social contract theorists such as the English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) argue that the power of government comes from individuals, and not vice versa. People give up some of their freedoms to the government in order to maximize their freedom in general, so the government does not have legitimate powers beyond those of the individuals themselves; the main purpose of the government is to expand freedom, not restrict it. As the American revolutionary thinker Thomas Paine (1737-1809) argues, it would be within the rights of citizens to overthrow any government that betrays this trust.
But Revolution is the last resort. Classical liberals believe that Representative and constitutional democracy is the best way discovered so far to keep legislators accountable to the people and the goal of elections is not so much to choose good leaders as to get rid of bad ones. The more knowledgeable and attentive the voters are, the better their work will be. However, democracy has its limits and it may be a good way to make some decisions, but these are few decisions it is usually better to let individuals make their own decisions.
Classical liberals believe that the main or perhaps the only valid reason for interfering with people's freedom is to prevent them from threatening others or actually harming them. To restrict the actions of persons simply because we deplore them or
It should
For example, classical liberals defend freedom of speech, even if some people use this freedom to say a word that others or even everyone - may find repugnant. Likewise, individuals should be free to gather in groups such as clubs, unions or political parties, even if others consider their goals and activities to be repugnant. They should be free to trade in goods, services, and even things (such as drugs and prostitution) that others may not approve of. They should have the freedom to live, adopt the views they like, and embrace the religion they want.
Classical liberals believe that such tolerance is not only good in itself, they consider tolerance and mutual respect to be essential foundations for peaceful cooperation and the creation of a useful and well-functioning society. Human differences are one of the realities of our social life and have always been so. Liberals do not believe that these differences can be eliminated, and they are deeply skeptical of utopian attempts to do so. In view of this tolerance will always remain a necessary part of the functioning of social life. 5. Limited and representative government
You might think that a large and complex society needs a large and powerful government to manage it, but classical liberals are against this. They believe that the government is not the basis of the social system. And the complex social institutions that we see around us are unplanned
Generally, they are the result of human action, not the result of human design.
For example, there was no need for a central authority or conscious planning for the production of language, our customs and culture, or the markets for goods and services. Such institutions grow and develop simply as a result of countless interactions between free individuals. If their usefulness and usefulness have been proven over the centuries, they will continue; if not, they change or are abandoned.
The Austrian social theorist launched F. Eh. Hayek (1899-1992) on that score named the automatic system. And automatic systems can be very complex, they develop by individuals following behavioral rules such as grammar rules that they may not even realize they are following, and they can hardly describe them. It is extremely foolish for politicians and officials to assume that any single mind can assimilate such complex systems, let alone improve them. 8. Property, trade and markets classical liberals believe that wealth is not created by governments, but by the mutual cooperation of individuals in the automatic system of the market. Prosperity is achieved by free individuals who innovate, create, save, invest, and ultimately،
6. Rule of law another principle that restricts power and creates greater security for the common people is the rule of law. This is the idea that we should be governed by well - known laws, and not by arbitrary decisions of government officials-what the American politician John Adams (1826-1735) called a government of laws, not a government of men".
Classical liberals insist that the law should be applied to everyone equally, regardless of gender, race, religion, language, family or any other irrelevant characteristics. It should be applied to government officials just as it is applied to ordinary people; no one should be "above the law". Maintaining the rule of law requires a system of justice, with independent courts that cannot be manipulated by individuals or governments. There must be basic judicial principles such as habeas corpus, jury trial, and fair trial to prevent those in power from using the law for their own personal interests. The rule of law has another happy consequence - it makes life more predictable because it enables us to predict how people, including those responsible, will behave). So we can make long-term plans without fear of their failure due to whims
Others.
7. Automatic system
These institutions are an important part of how people relate to each other. Our outlook, values and actions are formed within it and they provide the basis for mutual understanding on which cooperation can be based in fact, cooperation would be impossible without the freedom to organize in this
Fig.
Civil society also provides a buffer between individuals and governments. If we were all truly isolated individuals, our freedoms would be easily suppressed by authoritarian governments. But the complex intersecting circles of civil society not only prove that alternatives to the actions of government are possible-private charities, for example, instead of government social welfare-but also give us the common interest and the strength to fight back. 10. Common human values classical liberals wish to harness our common humanity for mutual benefit. They support the basic principles of life, freedom and property under the law. Those principles, they believed, were the foundations of a prosperous and spontaneous social order based on mutual respect, tolerance, non-aggression, cooperation and voluntary exchange between free individuals.
Politically, classical liberals prefer freedom of speech, freedom of organization, the rule of law and restrictions on government - since rulers are no holier than others-that prevent those in power from doing much harm to others.
They voluntarily exchange goods and services for mutual gain - this is the automatic system of a free market economy. This wealth-creating social system arises from a simple rule: respect for private property and contract, what allows specialization and trade. Freedom and property are inextricably linked. A market economy, and the wealth it generates, depends on the free movement of people, goods, services, capital and ideas. The existence of private wealth makes it easier for people to resist the exploitation of an unjust government. Classical liberals do not allow the acquisition of property by force. In fact, most property is created-crops are grown, houses are built, innovations are developed. Obviously, property benefits the owner, but in fact it benefits everyone because it promotes prosperity on a larger scale. 9. Civil society
Classical liberals believe that voluntary associations are better than governments at meeting the needs of individuals. Although they emphasize the primacy of individuals, they recognize that people are not isolated, selfish and selfish beings. On the contrary, they are social animals and live within families, groups and communities that partially shape their values - clubs, associations, unions, religions, schools, online communities, campaigns, self-help groups, charities and all other institutions that we call civil society.