Final answer:
Wollstonecraft's objection to conflating liberty with property rights is based on the concern that such a focus may limit broader personal freedoms and social equality, especially for women. She presents an alternative vision of societal order rooted in reason and equality of rational beings, challenging classical liberal emphasis on property.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mary Wollstonecraft's objection to conflating the defense of liberty with the securing of property stems from a critique of classical liberalism's excessive focus on property rights, often at the expense of genuine individual liberty and equality. While classical liberal philosophers like John Locke argued that the defense of property is a central purpose of government and a key aspect of liberty, Wollstonecraft worried that this focus on property rights could overshadow the importance of broader personal freedoms and social equality, and prevent individuals, especially women, from being treated as rational beings capable of contributing to society. Locke's argument implies that acquiring and defending property leads to civil society's protection through laws, but Wollstonecraft challenges whether this is sufficient for true liberty and equality, particularly given the historical exclusion of women and other groups from property rights and full participation in society.
Wollstonecraft, in her writings, such as A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, champions the cause of women's rights and argues that women are not naturally inferior to men but are made to appear so due to a lack of education. She posits a social order based on reason rather than property, wherein both men and women should be treated as rational beings. This emphasizes her concern with the conflation of property rights and the broader conception of liberty, suggesting that a society overly focused on property might fail to recognize the equal capabilities and rights of individuals, particularly those without property.