Libertarianism is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state’s violation of individual liberties; emphasizing free association, freedom of choice, individualism and voluntary association.
Authoritarianism is a form of government characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political status quo, and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voting.
Hedonism comes from the ancient Greek for ‘pleasure’. Psychological or motivational hedonism claims that only pleasure or pain motivates us. Ethical or evaluative hedonism claims that only pleasure has worth or value and only pain or displeasure has disvalue or the opposite of worth.
The Frankfurt School was a school of social theory and critical philosophy associated with the Institute for Social Research, at Goethe University Frankfurt in 1929. Founded in the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), during the European interwar period (1918–1939), the Frankfurt School comprised intellectuals, academics, and political dissidents dissatisfied with the contemporary socio-economic systems (capitalist, fascist, communist) of the 1930s. The Frankfurt theorists proposed that social theory was inadequate for explaining the turbulent political factionalism and reactionary politics occurring in 20th century liberal capitalist societies. Critical of both capitalism and of Marxism–Leninism as philosophically inflexible systems of social organization, the School’s critical theory research indicated alternative paths to realizing the social development of a society and a nation.
It is widely believed that a revolution in British social attitudes and behaviour took place during the Sixties, making Britain a secular ‘permissive society’. In popular accounts, this sea-change amounted to the discovery of ‘sex, drugs n rock n roll’ by the young. Unlike a political revolution, there was no single event that marked the beginning of changes that many contemporaries felt climaxed in the ‘Summer of Love’ of 1967, although others pointed to the trial of Penguin Books for publishing the novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover in 1960. A topic of roiling historical controversy since the decade ended, this module asks what changed in Sixties Britain and why it did so before considering the consequences and legacies of the period.
| Key Question | Focus | Specifics |
| Why Regulate? | Truth Appropriate messaging Knowledge and information Decency/Morales Privacy | Depp vs Heard Rooney vs Hardy Life of Brian Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter Activision sexual harassment |
| What gets regulated? | Newspapers Websites Movies Radio Advertising | Video Games Television Books Internet The News |
| Who regulates what? | Government Organisations/Companies Law and Order Independent Individuals and groups | ASA PEGI BBFC IPSO OFCOM |
| How will regulation be put in place? | Copyright Explicitly Age Ratings Legal ownership Official Secrets Act |
