Leonard Hobhouse facts for kids

Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse

Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse (born September 8, 1864 – died June 21, 1929) was an important English thinker. He was a political theorist and sociologist who helped create the idea of social liberalism. This idea suggests that the government should play a role in making society fairer.

His most famous book, Liberalism (1911), is a key text for understanding New Liberalism. Hobhouse worked as both a university professor and a journalist. He was also very important in making sociology a recognized subject at universities. In 1907, he became one of the first professors of sociology in the United Kingdom at the University of London. He also started and edited The Sociological Review, a magazine about sociology. His sister was Emily Hobhouse, who was known for helping people in need.

Life and Education

Hobhouse was born in St Ive, a small town in Cornwall, England. His father, Reginald Hobhouse, was a clergyman in the Anglican church. Leonard went to Marlborough College and then studied at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He finished his studies with top honors in 1887.

After graduating, Hobhouse stayed at Oxford as a research fellow. From 1897 to 1907, he took a break from university life. During this time, he worked as a journalist for newspapers like the Manchester Guardian. He also served as the secretary for a trade union, which is a group that protects workers' rights.

In 1907, Hobhouse returned to university. He became the first Martin White Professor of Sociology at the University of London. He held this important position until he passed away in 1929.

Beliefs and Views

From a young age, Hobhouse was an atheist, meaning he did not believe in God. This was interesting because his father was a high-ranking church official. Hobhouse believed that people could use logic and reason to understand what is right and wrong.

He described himself as a "firm radical" in politics and a "yet firmer agnostic" in religion. An agnostic is someone who believes it's impossible to know if God exists.

Hobhouse was greatly influenced by thinkers like John Stuart Mill. These influences shaped his strong support for feminist ideas (equal rights for women), democracy (government by the people), and secularism (keeping government separate from religion). Even when he was at school, he often spoke about republican and democratic ideas in debates.

Economic Ideas

Hobhouse was a key figure in the 'New Liberal' movement within the Liberal Party around the turn of the 20th century. Leaders like H. H. Asquith and David Lloyd George were part of this movement.

He had a special way of looking at property. He said there was property held 'for use' (like your home) and property held 'for power' (like a factory that gives you control over many workers). He thought that governments should work with trade unions to help balance the power between employers and employees.

Hobhouse also believed that wealth isn't just earned by one person's effort. He thought that society as a whole helps people become wealthy. This meant that people who had a lot of property owed something back to society. This idea helped justify new government programs, like state pensions, which aimed to share wealth more fairly.

Hobhouse did not like Marxist socialism, which often called for big changes in society. He called his own ideas "liberal socialism" or "social liberalism." His ideas are still very important for understanding the history of the Liberal Democrats party in the UK.

Civil Liberty and Freedom

Hobhouse had a positive view of liberalism. He believed that the main goal of freedom was to help individuals grow and develop, not just to be free for freedom's sake. He thought that forcing people to do things was usually not effective in helping them.

While he disagreed with some older ideas of classical liberalism (like laissez-faire, which means the government should not interfere with the economy), he still praised early classical liberals. He felt they helped break down old, unfair ways of society. Hobhouse believed that a key part of liberalism was its ability to free people. He saw this idea continuing from classical liberalism to the social liberalism he supported.

He also pointed out that there are many ways people can be controlled in society, not just by the government. Because of this, he suggested that the government should step in to reduce other forms of social control and help people be truly free.

Hobhouse hoped that the Liberals and the early Labour Party (which had social democrat ideas) could work together. He dreamed of a big group of "progressive" thinkers and politicians.

Foreign Policy Views

Hobhouse was often disappointed that many people who believed in collective action in Britain also supported imperialism (when one country controls other countries).

He was against the Second Boer War in South Africa. His sister, Emily Hobhouse, played a big role in showing the terrible conditions in the concentration camps set up by the British Army there.

At first, Hobhouse was against the First World War. However, he later came to support the war effort. He was an internationalist, meaning he believed countries should cooperate. He disliked how British governments often focused only on their own national interests. During the war, he criticized some British philosophers, like Bernard Bosanquet, for their Hegelian ideas, which he saw as too similar to German thinking.

Works

• The Labour Movement (1893)
• Theory of Knowledge: a contribution to some problems of logic and metaphysics (1896)
• Mind in Evolution (1901)
• Democracy and Reaction (1905)
• Morals in Evolution: a Study in Comparative Ethics in two volumes (1906)
  • Part I
  • Part II
• Liberalism (1911)
• Social Evolution and Political Theory (1911)
• Development and Purpose (1913)
• The Material Culture and Social Institutions of the Simpler Peoples : An Essay in Correlation (1915)
• Questions Of War And Peace (1916)
• The Metaphysical Theory of the State: a criticism (1918)
• The Rational Good: a study in the logic of practice (1921)
• The Elements of Social Justice (1922)
• Social Development: its Nature and Conditions (1924)
• Sociology and Philosophy: a Centenary Collection of Essays and Articles (1966)

See also

In Spanish: Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse para niños

• Reason and Revolution
• Contributions to liberal theory