Liberty, however, is normally accorded a higher moral value than power. But if liberty is taken itself to reflect a commitment to power, then the disvalue ostensibly placed upon the latter is unreliable. We may well be entitled to look beyond liberty to other values, such as tolerance, and friendship, which are not necessarily expressions of liberty, but which may prove quite as worthy. The nation is usually taken to be an expression, and 'nationalism' a defence, of culture. Since nations diverge despite common culture, 'common culture' cannot explain them.
Identity is more fundamental.
It persists where culture changes. This article outlines the basic tenets of political liberalism, a recent twist in liberal theories of justice, and distinguishes a 'sufficiency' approach from its more 'egalitarian' rivals. The article argues that a 'sufficiency' principle as the basis for distributing social and material goods, is a logical extension of the commitment to a democratic ideal, one that is required to give substance to political rights guaranteed to all citizens as free and equal members of the society. To illustrate the attractiveness of this approach, the paper illustrates how political liberalism offers a compelling way of characterising and interpreting the new South African Constitution. This article examines a peculiarity dating from Classical times, namely, that democracy may be achieved in practice, independently of and prior to its articulation as theory.