Gourt > Society > Politics > Liberalism > Left Liberalism (15)
- ''This article discusses liberalism as a major worldwide political ideology, its development, and some of its many modern-day variations. For the ideology commonly referred to as liberalism in the United States today, see American liberalism. For other uses, see Liberal (disambiguation).
Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political value.A: "'Liberalism' is defined as a social ethic that advocates liberty, and equality in general." - Coady, C. A. J. Distributive Justice, A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy, editors Goodin, Robert E. and Pettit, Philip. Blackwell Publishing, 1995, p.440. B: "Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end." - Lord Acton Traditionally, what was meant by "liberty" was the freedom of each individual to do as they pleased, provided they did not infringe on the liberty of others. This is often called classical liberalism. Another form of liberalism, often called social liberalism, holds that freedom requires what is sometimes called a "level playing field", that for people to be free they must be free from the unequal power of those born to wealth and high social status. Attempts to level the playing field include anti-discrimination laws, civil service examinations, universal education, affirmative action, and progressive taxation. A third form of liberalism, now almost universal in liberal democracies, holds that the government should provide for the general welfare. This sometimes includes a dole for the poor, housing for the homeless, and medical care for the sick, all supported by taxes. Classical liberals often strongly object to this kind of liberalism, asserting that the freedom of private property takes precedence over the personal freedom that depends on health, education, and a place to live; they claim that private charity does the job as well, or even better.
Classical liberals seek a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on coercive power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government. Modern liberals advocate a government in which the rights of minorities are protected. Compare for the latter aspect the Oxford Manifesto of 1947 of the Liberal International (Respect for the language, faith, laws and customs of national minorities), Oxford Manifesto of 1997 (We believe that close cooperation among democratic societies through global and regional organisations, within the framework of international law, of respect for human rights, the rights of national and ethnic minorities, and of a shared commitment to economic development worldwide, is the necessary foundation for world peace and for economic and environmental sustainability), the ELDR Electoral programme 1994 (Protecting the rights of minorities flows naturally from liberal policy, which seeks to ensure equal opportunities for everyone). In modern society, classical and social liberals favour a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and equal opportunity. Compare the Oxford Manifesto of the Liberal International (These rights and conditions can be secured only by true democracy. True democracy is inseparable from political liberty and is based on the conscious, free and enlightened consent of the majority, expressed through a free and secret ballot, with due respect for the liberties and opinions of minorities).
More on [ Liberalism ]
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Vocal Minority: Why I Left Liberalism #22- Hate, Hate, Hate (Rush Limbaugh Edition): http://bit.ly/5ODOOA via @addthis
EricTheRedVM (Vocal Minority) Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:24:09 -0000
Vocal Minority: Why I Left Liberalism #22- Hate, Hate, Hate (Rush Limbaugh Edition): http://bit.ly/5ODOOA via @addthis
#tcot Why I Left Liberalism #22- Hate, Hate, Hate (Rush Limbaugh Edition): Wednesday, January 06, 2010 | Town Hall Kick http://url4.eu/149XA
rd1776 (Re-Deliver 1776) Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:49:53 -0000
#tcot Why I Left Liberalism #22- Hate, Hate, Hate (Rush Limbaugh Edition): Wednesday, January 06, 2010 | Town Hall Kick http://url4.eu/149XA
@oliverdrew Sorry. I was referring to Lib Dems rather than Liberalism. LD's are generally centre-left and body scanners don't fit with that.
DavidMorris1984 (David Morris) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:01:52 -0000
@oliverdrew Sorry. I was referring to Lib Dems rather than Liberalism. LD's are generally centre-left and body scanners don't fit with that.
@DavidMorris1984 - but liberalism is neither left or right...it's a concept/philosophy not a political persuasion, rgdless of LibDems...
oliverdrew (oliverdrew) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:56:56 -0000
@DavidMorris1984 - but liberalism is neither left or right...it's a concept/philosophy not a political persuasion, rgdless of LibDems...
RT @stix1972: The Left's End Times http://bit.ly/6aZLD0 ->Yep: liberalism is religion to the lft, global warming extremism 1 faction! #hhrs
tamij (Tamara Jackson) Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:09:56 -0000
RT @stix1972: The Left's End Times http://bit.ly/6aZLD0 ->Yep: liberalism is religion to the lft, global warming extremism 1 faction! #hhrs
#tcot Why I Left Liberalism #22- Hate, Hate, Hate: El Rushbo Hospitalized, the Left Cheers: Woke up this morning to the http://url4.eu/11Jb3
rd1776 (Re-Deliver 1776) Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:40:23 -0000
#tcot Why I Left Liberalism #22- Hate, Hate, Hate: El Rushbo Hospitalized, the Left Cheers: Woke up this morning to the http://url4.eu/11Jb3
A Gun-Toting Liberal - A liberal blog.
Chris Holt: Liberalism - A quasi-FAQ about liberalism, from a left-liberal point of view.
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GoLiberal.org - A portal providing articles, tools, links and talking points.
Meta Description: [ This site provides Liberal and New Democratic articles and tools, links, talking points and more! ]
Hierarchic Democracy and the Necessity of Mass Civil Disobedience - The true nature of liberal democracy as unequal and the resulting need for civil disobedience instead of elections.
Liberal Oasis - Left-liberal articles and links.
Meta Description: [ Where the left is right, and the right is wrong. ]
Liberalism FAQ - Questions and answers on liberalism.
Meta Description: [ Turn Left is the webs oldest and largest web site devoted to liberalism, covering politics, culture, the media, and more ]
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Liberalism Resurgent - A gateway to liberal studies, statistics and state-of-the-art arguments that refute the myths of liberalism's opponents. Readers can form their own opinions from credible sources such as mainstream scholars and the National Academy of Sciences.
Political Corrections - Quotations from various adherents of progressive and liberal philosophies and political movements throughout the world.
Meta Description: [ Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God! ]
Readers Companion to American History: Liberalism - Fred Siegel on the evolution of liberalism in America.
The White Rose - Presents criticisms of the right and alternative solutions to today's problems.
Meta Description: [ The White Rose proudly and defiantly presents an vast array of progressive and liberal links to today's issues. ]
Tom Daschle's Ghost - The ghost of a center-left Democrat peers out at the post-2004 political landscape, trying to figure out what's next for American progressives.
Treehuggers - Web resources for social, political, and spiritual liberals.
Meta Description: [ Index of Web sites with a liberal orientation; over 250 links in nine different categories. ]
Turn Left - Site contains articles and links which explain the liberal philosophy and goals.
Hardball with Chris Matthews: Ralph Nader part 2 |
