How powerful should

government be?

R A F I A R IA S AT
BBA-6C
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Anarchists
Anarchists are people who believe that the institutions of society,
such as private property and the state, exploit and corrupt humans.
If these authoritarian structures were removed, people would be free
to realize their intrinsic goodness and establish the communal
lifestyle instinctive to all human beings
Libertarians
Libertarians are people who advocate greater freedom for
individuals. They dislike arbitrary authority and argue for active
freedom and the free expression of the individual personality.
Libertarians, such as the philosopher Robert Nozick ,see a role for a
minimal state. They disagree with the anarchists, arguing that we
need the state to provide defense against other states, but that much
of what modern states do is harmful.
Reactionaries
 Reactionaries believe that more than a minimal government is
necessary, but that the role government currently plays in society is
much too large.
They prefer turning back the clock and organizing under the smaller
role they believe the government played in earlier times.
Commonly used terms
Conservatives favor a smaller role for government than currently
exists
Moderates favor about the same role for government as exists
Liberals favor a broader role for government than exists
Conservatives
Conservatives saw the government as a keeper of the public morals as a
potential public good
 Conservatives felt that it was proper for government to legislate morality
and to tell people what was right and what was wrong.
 The conservative viewpoint in the United States is also associated with
policies such as lower taxes , elimination or reduction of regulations ,both
of public and private activities , highly structured elementary and
secondary education with frequent tests to be sure students are learning the
basics and an emphasis on the family values of stable marriage and careful
rearing of children by the parents .
Liberals
Liberals tend to see the government as a necessary evil and thus they
favor limiting governments role of infringing on individual rights ,
emphasizing concepts such as freedom of speech and freedom to
worship as one wishes .
 Liberalism became associated with government establishing a
framework within which individuals freedoms have real meaning and
thereby it became associated with increasing the size of government .
Radicals
Radicals believe that the existing government must be changed from
what it is to something else .
 They don’t necessarily favor a larger or smaller role of government
just a change from the existing situation
Elements of Truth
All of these views of the role that government plays in society
contain elements of truth.
 Differences of opinion arise in part from differences in governments
and in part from the different functions that every government
performs.
Governments have been oppressive and have exploited the masses;
they have at times been almost exclusively concerned with restraining
the unruly elements in human society.
But they have also been used by society to promote by positive
means the common good. A rational evaluation of government must
be based on many considerations,