What is liberal? What is conservative?

Question

Define liberal and conservative, please use some example's like spending on budgets and health choices.

Answer 1

(m)

Liberal - A liberal is a person who supports moderate social progress and reform.

Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value.[1] Liberalism has its roots in the Western Enlightenment, but the term now encompasses a diversity of political thought.



Conversative - A person who has conservative ideas or opinions

Conservatism is any of several historically-related political philosophies or political ideologies. There are also a number of Conservative political parties in various countries. They usually identify with the political right

Answer 2

its a good question, because the answer is so fuzzy. Once upon a time, I would have said that liberals had more confidence in the power of government to solve problems, and that conservatives were more skeptical, that liberals were more likely to raise taxes and run deficits than more fiscally prudent "conservatives" -- but none of those preconceptions fits the current scene, where a "conservative" government has busted the budget and inflated the government (not just on military, but on social programs too-- see the Medicare drug benefit).

So the difference today is really cultural; the policy issues that separate the parties are trivial, and don't break down on party lines (take immigration for example).

Answer 3

Using Roe v. Wade, the 'women's rights referindum is probably the best--- but without taking sides and becoming political here ---
the easiest example for me to use would be this:
A liberal would fFAVOUR that act, bcz it gives women the right to choose whether or not she can end (her own) pregnancy (it being HER body).
A conservative would FIGHT that act, bcz they do NOT feel the woman HAS the right to choose...not when it involves the rights of another (the baby).
(I hope that was a good enough definition).

Answer 4

In "The Federal Courts, Politics, and the Rule of Law," by John C. Hughes (published 1995), it says:

"In the contemporary political context, those who fear conformity have tended to describe themselves as liberal and have tended to applaud judicial 'protection' of human rights. Those who fear diversity have tended to call themselves conservatives and have been appalled by judicial 'usurpation' of the majority's discretion to form the kind of community it finds most conducive to its own happiness. The former tends to approve of the expansive theories of constitutional interpretation, while the latter tends to prefer the restrained theories of judicial review. These alignments are neither perfect nor inevitable, but the debate has surely been shrill."

Answer 5

Liberals want rules or laws to cover any possible situation and for you to know all of those laws. Second they think that there is no such thing as a bad person. Third they want to get rid of any values or morals. Conservatives want to keep things close to the traditional way of doing things. Cons. try to teach people to think for themselves and make judgments using morals and values. Cons. believe a person should be responsible for their actions. Libs. think that the government should be responsible for your actions.

Answer 6

Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value.[1] Liberalism has its roots in the Western Enlightenment, but the term now encompasses a diversity of political thought.

Broadly speaking, contemporary liberalism emphasizes individual rights. It seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, free public education, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of all citizens are protected. [2] In modern society, liberals favor a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and an equal opportunity to succeed[3].

Many liberals advocate a greater degree of government interference in the free market, often in the form of anti-discrimination laws, civil service examinations, universal education, and progressive taxation. This philosophy frequently extends to a belief that the government should provide for a degree of general welfare, including Unemployment benefits for the poor, housing for the homeless, and medical care for the sick. Such publicly-funded initiatives and interferences in the market are rejected by modern advocates of classical liberalism, which emphasizes free private enterprise, individual property rights and freedom of contract; classical liberals hold that economic inequality, as arising naturally from competition in the free market, does not justify the violation of private property rights. However, modern advocates of classical liberalism do advocate a heavier taxation on the corporation, as opposed to the current trend of the burden of income tax resting on the shoulders of the individual worker, as did the early classical liberals.

Liberalism rejected many foundational assumptions which dominated most earlier theories of government, such as the Divine Right of Kings, hereditary status, and established religion. Fundamental human rights that all liberals support include the right to life, liberty, and property. Liberalism has its roots in the Western Enlightenment, but the term now encompasses a diversity of political thought, with adherents spanning a large part of the political spectrum.

A broader use of the term liberalism is in the context of liberal democracy (see also constitutionalism). In this sense of the word, it refers to a democracy in which the powers of government are limited and the rights of citizens are legally defined; this applies to nearly all Western democracies, and therefore is not solely associated with liberal parties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative

Answer 7

Liberals are liberal and laid back with everything/free, they enjoy everyone. Conservatives are conservative and generaly more serious.
Neither one is better than the other, most people fall inbetween.

Answer 8

Liberal supports gay marriages. Conservative permits gays and lesbians but not in Army.

Answer 9

I'm neither, What is wrong with just being an American? The problem is they both are to busy fighting each other instead of working for whats best for you and me. it's a shame when we as Americans only have the choice to vote on witch one will be the less of two evils.

Answer 10

liberal is to have freedom to choose if we choose to spend the money. like clothes prices. conservative is to keep moderate it will not change so much. like laws.