rights are - and what they are not. An individuals self interest may be honored only

t--^__-

if he is willing to promote the self interest of others by accommodation.

John Locke founded his theory of society on the condition found in a state of nature:

he said that people are essentially independent of each other. Locke's social
contract assumes that people are rational, self-interested and wholly independent
entities. Utilitarians adopted a more interdependent view - but even they have
assumed that people are rational enough that social utility is to be calculated by
totaling up the net happiness of all individuals in society.

LIBERALS
Political liberals respond to these critics in a variety of ways. First, they note that
individual rights and constitutional politics must be understood in a way that befits a
society with radically different conceptions of what is good. Political liberals
believe that living harmoniously in a diverse society must take into account our
differences and our distinctiveness.

Second, liberals respond that their theories of rights can recognize how important it
is for individuals to pursue a connected and coherent social life.                 -9-