Archiving, Advancing, Protecting
There is little disagreement among political philosophers, democratic theorists or empirical researchers that politics, freedom, society and equality are core principles of liberal democracy. What is highly disputed, however, is the meaning of these democratic principles and the proper relation between them that makes for a good political order. The assumption has always been that there is a trade-off between freedom and equality. ‘Trade-off’ means in this context that both principles cannot be maximized at the same time. Investigations of data from democracies leads to reject the trade-off assumption which has a long tradition Freedom and political as well as economic equality are mutually reinforcing.
There is no evidence of a negative association between freedom on the one hand and equality on the other. The traditional libertarian fear of a trade-off between freedom and equality is unfounded, as we core principles of democracy possess a mutually reinforcing association. Societies and political orders do not have to decide between the two principles but can pursue the maximization of both freedom and equality. This does not mean, of course, that real-world politics cannot pursue one over the other, but any arguments to this end should no longer rest on the claim that the two principles are mutually exclusive in modern democracies. Politics, society, freedom and equality can certainly coexist.
Shelley v. Kraemer (1948) is the 90th landmark Supreme Court case, tenth in the Politics, Society, Freedom and Equality module, featured in the KTB Prep American Government and Civics series designed to acquaint users with the origins, concepts, organizations, and policies of the United States government and political system. The...
Kamala Harris is the first female vice presidential candidate of African and Asian ancestry. Her biological makeup has become a topic of discussion because she is not a white man. Rather than point out how even engaging in this very topic heightens white supremacy, I decided to attack this head...
Marsh v. Alabama (1946) is the 87th landmark Supreme Court case, fourth in the Religion module, featured in the KTB Prep American Government and Civics series designed to acquaint users with the origins, concepts, organizations, and policies of the United States government and political system. The goal is greater familiarization...
Korematsu v. U.S. (1944) is the 86th landmark Supreme Court case, ninth in the Politics, Society, Freedom and Equality module, featured in the KTB Prep American Government and Civics series designed to acquaint users with the origins, concepts, organizations, and policies of the United States government and political system. The...
Hirabayashi v. US (1943) is the 84th landmark Supreme Court case, eighth in the Politics, Society, Freedom and Equality module, featured in the KTB Prep American Government and Civics series designed to acquaint users with the origins, concepts, organizations, and policies of the United States government and political system. The...
Ex Parte Quirin (1942) is the 81st landmark Supreme Court case, sixth in the Foreign Policy module, featured in the KTB Prep American Government and Civics series designed to acquaint users with the origins, concepts, organizations, and policies of the United States government and political system. The goal is greater...
Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) is the 77th landmark Supreme Court cases, the fourth in the Education module, featured in the KTB Prep American Government and Civics Series designed to acquaint users with the origins, concepts, organizations, and policies of the United States government and political system. The goal...
U.S. v. Curtiss-Wright (1936) is the 65th landmark Supreme Court case, the fifth in the Foreign Policy module, featured in the KTB Prep American Government and Civics series designed to acquaint users with the origins, concepts, organizations, and policies of the United States government and political system. The goal is...
Buchanan v. Warley (1917) is the 41st landmark Supreme Court case, the seventh case in the Politics, Society, Freedom, and Equality module, featured in the KTB Prep American Government and Civics Series designed to acquaint users with the origins, concepts, organizations, and policies of the United States government and political...
U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) is the 34th landmark Supreme Court case, the sixth case in the Politics, Society, Freedom, and Equality module, featured in the KTB Prep American Government and Civics Series designed to acquaint users with the origins, concepts, organizations, and policies of the United States government...