One major example of this is the difference in beliefs on Liberty. Classical liberals understand liberty to be the absence of physical interference by others upon one's person and estate (negative liberty). Classical Liberals believe that this is achieved through limiting government influence over the lives of individuals, and keeping taxation low, the individual earned the money and is therefore entitled to all of it (or as close to all of it as possible). Modern liberals regard this definition pejoratively as ‘negative liberty’ and argue that it is not enough, as it only stops others from interfering with you. Therefore, positive liberty is needed, as it consists of possessing the (positive) capacity and means to do what you will (as long as it does not harm others). A right to positive liberty is a right to ‘means’ (goods and services), which can be seen as the right to means from someone else’s person or estate (e.g. right to provided with food, healthcare etc). This directly opposes Classical Liberals belief in man’s right to property. Therefore, it can be seen that one person’s ‘positive liberty’ is the denial of another’s ‘negative liberty’. Therefore, despite the fact that both Classical Liberals and Modern Liberals believe in the prominence of Liberty, there is a fundamental disagreement which outweighs the similarity.
Another major tenet of liberalism that classical and modern liberals can be seen to disagree is on the idea of individualism. Individualism is the belief in the primacy of the individual over any collective body or social group. It could be argued that classical liberals support a model of individualism that includes egotistical, market individualism, which emphasises self-interest and self-reliance. This is seen as allowing humans to flourish and to profit from their own talents and hard work, realising their individual potential. Classical liberals believe that this can be achieved through ‘rolling back the state’, with a hope that it will increase individual freedom and strengthen individual responsibility. On the other hand, modern liberals also want to allow humans to flourish and realise their potential, but they believe that if there is inequality in society, the disadvantaged, with fewer opportunities will be unable to achieve this, so it is the duty of the state to intervene and give them the means to realise their potential (positive freedom). This is known as ‘development individualism’, linked to collectivism, as it entails ‘rolling forward’ the state, which will lay down the conditions that foster personal growth and human flourishing. This is another example of classical and modern liberals agreeing that individualism is important, but disagreeing as to the way in which to achieve it.
Classical and Modern Liberals are closer to agreement on the issue of Individual rights, however there is still a fundamental difference. They both believe that for the individual to be autonomous, then all individuals must be free and equal, this implies political equality, the protection of individual rights etc. However, the fundamental difference lies in the extent to which the state should enforce the equality aspect of individual rights. Classical Liberals believe that limiting the state to the point where it cannot interfere with individual rights, whereas modern liberals believe that unless the state provides welfare, the poor are not free and therefore equal to the privileged.
However, classical Liberals and modern liberals have similar views on a number of aspects of liberalism. Both believe in the importance of religious toleration; individuals and the state must respect the individual’s right to worship as one pleases. This implies a separation of church and state, as there cannot be one state approved religion. They also agree on the importance of popular sovereignty and consent; government should be ruled by the people rather than by a monarch, a religious figure, or some other elite. Government’s legitimacy rests on the consent of the governed.
Overall, it is true that classical liberalism and modern liberalism are both part of the same ideology, they both support ideas such as individual rights, the importance of individualism and the prominence of liberty, however they have slightly different ideas as to the best way to achieve liberty and protect the individual. However, the fact that they have totally different positions on the standing of the state means that the differences outweigh the similarities.