CONCEPTION OF JUSTICE IN LIBERAL IDEOLOGY: UTOPIA OR REALITY?

Even a superficial glance at the current political situation in Western countries is sufficient to understand an ambiguous position of modern liberalism. The liberal ideology advocates for social justice through the priority of individual freedom in society. Moreover, liberalism defines freedom as independence of an individual, which is limited by the very freedom of autonomous individuals and by self-control only. The conception of economics in liberalism depends on the initial formal equality of existing opportunities. Liberalism itself stands for economic equality. All individuals as owners and citizens are vested with equal formal political and legal rights. At the same time, actual economic inequality is unambiguously declared as a legitimate result of an individual's efforts. The conception of social justice of liberalism was a new impetus to a discussion on further development of liberal ideology and political strategies. The consequences of practical implementation of the theory are currently difficult to predict accurately, however liberal practice incontrovertibly lags behind theory. Modern liberalism does not obviously believe in civilization of productivity, but it cannot dispute its hegemony either. This fits the description of the provisions of current liberalism that put forward attractive ideals, which require reforms that are more global in nature. The relations between modern liberal theory and traditional liberal politics are becoming obscure. In most aspects, they are not interrelated, although contrary to theories (radical and critical ones), liberalism itself is often referred to as a "dominant" political theory. (C) 2019 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.UK