On The Formation Of Liberal Political Thought

The dissertation systematically analyses the thoughtful origins and the forming process of liberalism. The thoughts of liberty, equality, ruling by law and individualism contained in Polis institution of ancient Greece and Civic Culture, Republican institution of ancient Rome, the thoughts of Stoikoi, Roman law and Christian theology of Middle Ages, and form the thoughtful origins of liberalism. The humanism in the Renaissance and Protestantism in Religious Reform promote secularization in the western world, endow the modern meaning to the western thoughts of traditional liberty and equality and breed the Individualism in the modern which are the direct origins of liberalism. From individualist standpoint, Hobbes firstly analyses the state concept of modern liberalism: State is made up of individuals, firstly, individual and secondly, state; state power stems from the trust of individual; individual and his rights are purposes. The state is the way of protecting the individual rights. Therefore, he establishes the theoretical base of liberalism. But he doesn' t carry the principles of liberalism through to the end, instead, he makes the conclusion of totalitarianism, which killed the sprit of liberalism. Spinoza further develops the liberalism. The feature of his liberty concept is the positive political freedom, especially elaborating the freedom of thinking. After glory revolution, Locke summarizes all liberalism and expounds the political philosophy of liberalism: individual rights is the base of state and it is inviolable; state power is limited and the instrument of protecting individual rights . In order to protect individual rights, he also designs democracy, ruling by law and separation power, etc. It is in Locke that the political philosophy of modern liberalism comes into being.