Conservatism and Liberalism (An Introduction)
Posted: Friday, November 30, 2007
by David Tanguay
Defining Liberalism and Conservatism as some of us choose to select a party which suites our philosophy. After reading these descriptions of the two parties provided by wikipedia encyclopedia I ask that the reader read another article I have submitted on search warp titled “Uniting Conservatives and liberals" “a proposal"
Conservatism as a political philosophy is difficult to define, encompassing numerous different movements in various countries and time periods; there may sometimes be contradictions between alternative conceptions of conservatism as the ideology of preserving the past, and the contemporary worldwide conception of conservatism as a right wing political stance. For instance, as one commentator questions, "who are the 'conservatives' in today's Russia? Are they the unreconstructed Stalinist, or the reformers who have adopted the right-wing views of modern conservatives such as Margaret Thatcher?"
Samuel Francis defined authentic conservatism as “the survival and enhancement of a particular people and its institutionalized cultural expressions." Roger Scranton calls it “maintenance of the social ecology" and “the politics of delay, the purpose of which is to maintain in being, for as long as possible, the life and health of a social organism." Conservatives believe that radical change and unproven beliefs should not be quickly implemented before being tested.
Liberalism refers to a broad array of related ideas and theories of government that consider individual liberty to be the most important political goal.Liberalism has its roots in the Western Age of Enlightenment.
Broadly speaking, liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity. Different forms of liberalism may propose very different policies, but they are generally united by their support for a number of principles, including extensive freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market or mixed economy, and a transparent system of government. All liberals – as well as some adherents of other political ideologies – support some variant of the form of government known as liberal democracy, with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law.
Liberalism rejected many foundations assumptions that dominated most earlier theories of government, such as the Divine Right of Kings, hereditary status, and established religion. Social progressivism, the belief that traditions do not carry any inherent value and social practices ought to be continuously adjusted for the greater benefit of humanity, is a common component of liberal ideology. Liberalism is also strongly associated with the belief that human society should be organized in accordance with certain unchangeable and inviolable rights. Different schools of liberalism are based on different conceptions of human rights, but there are some rights that all liberals support to some extent, including rights to life, liberty, and property.
Within liberalism, there are two major currents of thought that often compete over the use of the term "liberal" and have been known to clash on many issues. Classical liberals emphasize free private enterprise, individual property rights, laissez-faire economic policy, and freedom of contract, and oppose the welfare state. Classical liberals support equality before the law, and hold that economic inequality, arising from competition in the free market, does not justify wealth redistribution by governments. Social liberals advocate a greater degree of government influence to protect individual rights (in a broad sense), often in the form of anti-discrimination laws. Social liberals support universal education , and many also support the provision of welfare, including benefits for the unemployed, housing for the homeless, and medical care for the sick, all supported by progressive taxation .
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)David a very good article. Now you need to write one on the differences concerning these two types in todays Congress? I venture to say of you select 10 of the most well known ones of each party you will find they vote exactly the same on key issues. Now wouldn't that be interesting and what does that say? All the best davbid and kkep up the good work.Please log in to respond to this comment.David a very good article. Now you need to write one on the differences concerning these two types in today's Congress? Mr. Melaccio, did you read the article I've suggested to read at the beginning of this article? It tells the story of how I came to find the meanings of the words and how to unite them. I'd appreciate a comment on it from you.Please log in to respond to this comment.
hi david, very factual and to the point article. thank you for sharing, best regards, suePlease log in to respond to this comment.Thank you for commenting SusanPlease log in to respond to this comment.
I enjoyed this article."Liberalism rejected many foundations assumptions that dominated most earlier theories of government, such as the Divine Right of Kings, hereditary status, and established religion. "Your above statement is right on target for why the Liberals rejected the Bush regime, and why we voted for a more productive regime change by electing Obama.- GPlease log in to respond to this comment.Thank you for commenting Greg.Please log in to respond to this comment.
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