What is liberalism at its most basic level?

Question

and what is the basis of economic liberalism

Answer 1

democrats are liberal. liberals wants more change while conservatives like letting things stay the same. like abortion for example. consevatives would oppose abortion but liberals would be for abortion.

Answer 2

Liberalism is a theory which advocates personal freedom. For example, the United States is a "Liberal Democracy" because we have protected rights which cannot be violated even by a majority vote of the people--such as free speech.

This is distinct from American Liberalism (largely related to the Democratic Party) which is more associated with social liberalism than economic liberalism--although many Democrats could be described as economically liberal as well, though not as economically liberal as the neoconservatives (largely related to the Republican Party).

Economic liberalism is the support of the free-market---free from strong government control. This is in contrast to economic interventionism and protectionism which advocate quotas/tariff bariers, higher taxes, high regulation, closed-shop unions, high minimum wages, price controls, subsidies, command economies, government ownership of industry, etc.

Answer 3

Not all Liberals are Democrats. And I believe the asker is inquiring about 'little l' liberalism, not 'big L' Liberalism. Two different animals mistakenly placed in the same cage...

Liberalism--the political ideology, not the political leaning--is an ideology which emphasizes the rights of the individual, freedom from being 'over-governed' by laws and rules, free and fair elections, free and open markets, and transparency of government (the ability to have government actions scrutinized and officials held responsible for wrong-doings).

Economic liberalism was theorized by Adam Smith, and emphasizes free and fair trade with minimal government involvement.

Answer 4

a political or social philosophy advocating the freedom of the individual, parliamentary systems of government, nonviolent modification of political, social, or economic institutions to assure unrestricted development in all spheres of human endeavor, and governmental guarantees of individual rights and civil liberties.

That was from dictionary.com

Liberals are about people. At its most fundamental level, liberalism emphasizes the need for harmony between socioeconomic institutions, and the human condition. Liberals care, in other words, what the people feel about government, and the way it affects the populace. Liberals believe that government should exist to make their lives easier. The problem many people see with that philosophy, is that it goes further away from a capitalist society, and more towards socialism. Many argue that the best systems of government are an amalgamation of the two, and that too much of either would lead to totalitarianism, or socialism. Both systems of government that exist today in other parts of the world.

Economic liberalism is kind of an interesting subcategory that I have never heard of.

Answer 5

Liberalism at it's most basic form, is an ideology that wants to reform society, liberals typically want equality in society. Their Economics reflect this, they generally favor domestic programs that aid the poor, and they generally want to restrict business, seeing them as evil and repressive of society. Personally I see them as being misguided economically, because usually their policies work on the surface, but ultimatley causing more poverty by removing incentive and restricting business.

Answer 6

Liberalism at its most basic level is "only" concern with "I think" and "I feel". They care less about anything else.

Or this guy "Brick" put it straight on the mark:

Liberalism believes that the killing of thousands of lives (abortions) is perfectly alright but the the deaths of 3,000 of our soldiers is a treasonous act for our president.
Is that basic enough!!

Answer 7

Liberalism believes that the killing of thousands of lives (abortions) is perfectly alright but the the deaths of 3,000 of our soldiers is a treasonous act for our president.
Is that basic enough!!

Answer 8

Utter disdain for successful people with money. A complete lack of, or understanding of, self responsibility. They believe white men are the worlds greatest problem - including America - and want reparations for whatever. They are boarder line communists masquerading as socialists but pretend to follow democratic policies. They are above all, very dangerous. If you ever see one, report the CIA or FBI, do not attempt to approach one - they may have a bomb strapped to their belt.

Answer 9

I agree with quarterback. I would also add that they embody Hollywood values (everything goes - the rape of a 12-year-old on screen, beastiality, gay marriage, etc) to the exclusion of everyone else's (the majority's) view. They are the elitists who think that if one believes in god then they are unsophisticated.

Answer 10

Patriotism.