Define liberalism?

Question

When people here talk about liberalism, what exactly do they mean? What is liberalism? If I were a liberal, what would I stand for or believe in. No drivel, plz.

Answer 1

Well, for starters, when most of the children who post here talk about it, they only mean someone who has a different point of view from them.

An adult response to your question: Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value.

It refers to a democracy in which the powers of government are limited and the rights of citizens are legally defined.

Political liberalism is the belief that individuals are the basis of law and society, and that society and its institutions exist to further the ends of individuals, without showing favor to those of higher social rank. Magna Carta is an example of a political document that asserted the rights of individuals even above the prerogatives of monarchs.

Political liberalism stresses the social contract, under which citizens make the laws and agree to abide by those laws. It is based on the belief that individuals know best what is best for them.

These days, if you asked 100 people, you'd probably get almost as many different answers, and although I dislike labels, here are some talking points that are significant to me about "liberalism."

I believe that in general, "liberals" are more for freedom of access to information of all kinds as opposed to "conservatives" who - for some reason - seem more prone to concealing otherwise non-sensitive information for their own "moral" agendas.

I believe that "liberals" are more likely to question things instead of just getting in step, jumping on patriotic bandwagons and going along with whatever they're told. I believe that "liberals" promote dissent as a healthy and very American thing.

I believe that many liberals, for example, might question the state of affairs where alcohol production is encouraged as big consumer business and tobacco production is actually SUBSIDIZED, but that few - if any - legislators would DARE to touch the issue of legalization of marijuana, which is far, far less debilitating and depressive than alcohol.

I believe that "liberals" are more prone to charity; to helping their fellow man when he needs it than hiding behing a phrase like "personal responsibility" to simply avoid the fact that they're cheap and tight.

I believe that "liberals" best support the ideals of Freedom of Speech and Press; that as consenting adults, we are free to read or view whatever we like in the privacy of our own homes, and that it is not the business of government to legislate morality.

Answer 2

Excellent question. Any move towards actual methodical thinking on this place is probably a good idea. I'm a liberal but I define liberals as people who pay lip service to defending gay rights, womens' rights and religious multiculturalism while simultaeneously ignoring the fact that Islam is on a collision course with those same values and will destroy those things, given half a chance. Conservatives on the other hand are against gay rights (except apparently the right to be alive) and tend to have the balls to see and speak of Islam as not a harmless fuzzy bunny. Both sides are like giant morons having an epic wrestling match with America as their ring. Granted, it's kind of an emotional assessment.

Answer 3

The classic definition refers to being progressive and freedom loving. Yesterday's liberals are todays conservatives. Conservatives are not bad, they just are more cautious and traditional in approach. Conservatives are more reluctant to try new things and often see the liberal as being reckless. The two (conservative and liberal) should fit hand in glove in society. One has a new idea and other runs it through the gauntlet as a safety measure. Unfortunately, modern politics has made "conservative" and "liberal" bad words. At least the "great unwashed" throw these words around like they know the real definitions-which they do not.

Answer 4

Modern day liberalism would be, in its extremist forms, considered socialist and/or communist. That is to say that they were not always like that. Liberals originally were basically modern Libertarians (which is what I am). Libertarianism would be today's termonology for what our founding father's were but back then they considered themselves Liberal.

To compare and contrast modern day Liberals and modern day Libertarians would be a good way of answering your question. Liberals and Libertarians, for instance, share strong social values, such as freedom of speech, freedom of belief and basically the practice of all forms of free will as-so-long as one does not in any way infringe upon another's civil rights.

Where these two contrast is primarily in economy. Liberals take on a very Marxian (that is socialist) view. They focus primarily on welfare, health care, worker's rights, and basically the government "levelling the playing field" for everyone despite their economic situation or physical/mental capabilities. Libertarians on the other hand believe in small government that is not so intrusive in people's lives and take on an extremely conservative economic view. Your average Libertarian will tell you that he/she believes in "levelling opportunities" as opposed to "levelling the playing field".

Generally speaking, Liberals value human life and humanitarianism; that is they believe in the establishment of a person's welfare before anything else (again, generally speaking). Libertarians on the other hand have a more "give me liberty or give me death" mindset, wherein they value a person's civil rights, regardless of welfare conditions.

Of course with any paradigms there are flaws in both of these systems. Liberalism requires a great deal of money and a massive beauraucratic heirarchy to stabilize the economy and provide the agencies and organizations needed to aide those in need. Of course this can be very percarious, seeing as how such a government could collapse under its own weight. Respectively, such a government may require the sacrafice for some civil rights in exchange for welfare which in Libertarian eyes is a sin.

Libertarianism is sometimes too idealistic and not realistic enough. A Libertarian society could very easily create a severe gap between the rich and poor; sticking the poor in a very helpless situation.

A solution to both of these is to, regardless of what you believe, understand the pragmatism of these and other ideologies. While, idealistically, I'd love to have a Libertarian society, I understand its unrealisticness and acknowledge Liberalism's necessity in other poorer countries such as Latin America, where it flourishes.

Answer 5

Liberalisms original meaning was the love of liberty. Basically, it means valuing personal freedom above all else. As opposed to conservatism, which mean valuing the public good over personal freedom.

BTW, progressivism and traditionalism aren't necesarily liberal and conservative repectively. Some countries have progressive conservative poliitical parties, and although I've never heard of one, it it theorhetically possible to have a traditionalist liberal party.

Edit: Actualy, come to think of it, I don't see how a traditionalist liberal party could exist.

Answer 6

well the term and the way people apply it are 2 different things entirely.

currently liberalism can be defined as re-defining everything to
NOT be like what was done in the past 170+ years...in other
words the de-construction of america as is use to be.

in other words if it was done "this way" in 1940 a liberal
will generally do the "opposite" and say it was done
thier way from the beginning anyways..

go fig'r

Answer 7

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 Age of Enlightenment, but the term has taken on different meanings in different time periods (for example now in the United States generally it means new liberalism while in the rest of the world has the meaning of classical liberalism).

Broadly speaking, 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, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports 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 new 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 benefits for the unemployed, 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.

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.

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.


hope this answers your question

Answer 8

Liberalism is the belief that there should be as much equality between society's members as possible.

Government is the only force powerful enough to overcome greed (pretty much the source of all problems), so it is the organ Liberals use to enact their beliefs.

Answer 9

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 10

these days, it means anyone who holds beliefs that are left of fanatic religious right-wingers. Liberal today, means anyone who doesn't agree with any portion of hardline right-wing ideology.

if you need a picture drawn, think of it as a number line.
from -5 to 5.
5 is extreme right wing ideology, and -5 is extreme left wing ideology. zero is moderate swing voters. 1 through four are various degree of right leaning moderates, and -1 through -4 are various degrees of left leaning moderates.
in the mind of 5, everything from 4.99 down to to -5 is liberal.