Do you agree that liberalism is not a true ideology in the same sense as conservatism?

[el_matador]

Conservatism has a core set of principles and beliefs - small government, low taxes, pro-Life, traditional marriage, etc... These values come from a personal sense of morality.

If it comes down to a choice between what is factually correct, and what aligns with conservative ideology - conservatives will usually choose their ideology.

On the other hand, liberalism does not stem from personal morality, but from a desire to accomplish the task at hand. Liberals believe in whatever works - not whatever fits. Liberals are pro-choice because there are too many scenarios for a one-size-fits-all rule. Liberals support multiculturalism because it is a demonstrated method to achieve success (just ask the Army).

 

[washamericom]

yes,....
see, .......this would be a good question for a poll..

 

[theDoctorisIn]

"Liberalism" and "Conserativism" are both words that no longer have meaning.

you can look both of those terms in a textbook - they're both "real" ideologies. But their definitions are entirely unrelated to their common usage in the US.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Conservatism has a core set of principles and beliefs - small government, low taxes, pro-Life, traditional marriage, etc... These values come from a personal sense of morality.

If it comes down to a choice between what is factually correct, and what aligns with conservative ideology - conservatives will usually choose their ideology.

On the other hand, liberalism does not stem from personal morality, but from a desire to accomplish the task at hand. Liberals believe in whatever works - not whatever fits. Liberals are pro-choice because there are too many scenarios for a one-size-fits-all rule. Liberals support multiculturalism because it is a demonstrated method to achieve success (just ask the Army).

Blatant call out and trolling thread.

And pure fiction.

 

[regent]

There are some core beliefs to both liberalism and conservatism. The size of government is not a core belief, liberals did not want large government in the beginning but now accept it, why?
Conservatives do not want large government today, why?

 

[Little-Acorn]

Liberals believe in whatever works -

CORRECTION: Liberals believe in whatever they wish would work.

If it sounds good to them, they just assume it would work. Plentiful examples showing otherwise, do not change their minds. They just continue to push one impossible, unworkable scheme after another, undeflected by their repeated failures.

 

[BlindBoo]

"Liberalism" and "Conserativism" are both words that no longer have meaning.

you can look both of those terms in a textbook - they're both "real" ideologies. But their definitions are entirely unrelated to their common usage in the US.

Cato s Mission Cato Institute


Today, those who subscribe to the principles of the American Revolution — individual liberty, limited government, the free market, and the rule of law — call themselves by a variety of terms, including conservative, libertarian, classical liberal, and liberal. We see problems with all of those terms. "Conservative" smacks of an unwillingness to change, of a desire to preserve the status quo. Only in America do people seem to refer to free-market capitalism — the most progressive, dynamic, and ever-changing system the world has ever known — as conservative. Additionally, many contemporary American conservatives favor state intervention in some areas, most notably in trade and into our private lives.

"Classical liberal" is a bit closer to the mark, but the word "classical" fails to capture the contemporary vibrancy of the ideas of freedom.

"Liberal" may well be the perfect word in most of the world — the liberals in societies from China to Iran to South Africa to Argentina tend to be supporters of human rights and free markets — but its meaning has clearly been altered in the contemporary United States.

The Jeffersonian philosophy that animates Cato's work has increasingly come to be called "libertarianism" or "market liberalism." It combines an appreciation for entrepreneurship, the market process, and lower taxes with strict respect for civil liberties and skepticism about the benefits of both the welfare state and foreign military adventurism.

This vision brings the wisdom of the American Founders to bear on the problems of today. As did the Founders, it looks to the future with optimism and excitement, eager to discover what great things women and men will do in the coming century. Market liberals appreciate the complexity of a great society, recognizing that socialism and government planning are just too clumsy for the modern world. It is — or used to be — the conventional wisdom that a more complex society needs more government, but the truth is just the opposite. The simpler the society, the less damage government planning does. Planning is cumbersome in an agricultural society, costly in an industrial economy, and impossible in the information age. Today collectivism and planning are outmoded and backward, a drag on social progress.

Libertarians have a cosmopolitan, inclusive vision for society. We applaud the progressive extension of the promises of the Declaration of Independence to more people, especially to women, African-Americans, religious minorities, and gay and lesbian people. Our greatest challenge today is to continue to extend the promise of political freedom and economic opportunity to those who are still denied it, in our own country and around the world.

 

[konradv]

Conservatism has a core set of principles and beliefs - small government, low taxes, pro-Life, traditional marriage, etc... These values come from a personal sense of morality.

That's modern conservatism, not classical conservatism. Classical conservatives didn't have a problem with large government or the others mentioned. It was about tradition. Traditional marriage is a misnomer in this case. Classical conservatives had no problem with a man keeping a mistress. Taxes were levied according to need, not some obscure conception of low. Classical conservatives supported many a war and capital puinishment. How is that pro-life? If modern liberalism isn't the same as classical liberalism, neither is modern conservatism.

 

[jwoodie]

Conservatism has a core set of principles and beliefs - small government, low taxes, pro-Life, traditional marriage, etc... These values come from a personal sense of morality.

If it comes down to a choice between what is factually correct, and what aligns with conservative ideology - conservatives will usually choose their ideology.

On the other hand, liberalism does not stem from personal morality, but from a desire to accomplish the task at hand. Liberals believe in whatever works - not whatever fits. Liberals are pro-choice because there are too many scenarios for a one-size-fits-all rule. Liberals support multiculturalism because it is a demonstrated method to achieve success (just ask the Army).

I think you have it mostly backwards. Conservatives tend to support time tested and proven solutions to real issues whereas Liberals subscribe to an emotion-based "hope and change" philosophy, often as a substitute for traditional religious beliefs. Your "pro-choice" example is contradicted by the anti-death penalty stance held by most Liberals, and your Army (integration) reference is an irrelevant circular definition of "success."

 

[el_matador]

in theory - yes. but practically?

Conservatism has a core set of principles and beliefs - small government, low taxes, pro-Life, traditional marriage, etc... These values come from a personal sense of morality.

If it comes down to a choice between what is factually correct, and what aligns with conservative ideology - conservatives will usually choose their ideology.

On the other hand, liberalism does not stem from personal morality, but from a desire to accomplish the task at hand. Liberals believe in whatever works - not whatever fits. Liberals are pro-choice because there are too many scenarios for a one-size-fits-all rule. Liberals support multiculturalism because it is a demonstrated method to achieve success (just ask the Army).

I think you have it mostly backwards. Conservatives tend to support time tested and proven solutions to real issues whereas Liberals subscribe to an emotion-based "hope and change" philosophy, often as a substitute for traditional religious beliefs. Your "pro-choice" example is contradicted by the anti-death penalty stance held by most Liberals, and your Army (integration) reference is an irrelevant circular definition of "success."

 

[regent]

I would start any definition with the core value of how we view mankind. Do we see man as basically good but led astray at times or do we see man as basically not good and needs supervision and rules, From that one core value we can understand a number of behavior patterns of liberal/conservative.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

I would start any definition with the core value of how we view mankind. Do we see man as basically good but led astray at times or do we see man as basically not good and needs supervision and rules, From that one core value we can understand a number of behavior patterns of liberal/conservative.

If mankind doesn't need rules then you might as well toss the Bible out. Fairy tales and rules sums it up pretty damn well.

 

[regent]

I would start any definition with the core value of how we view mankind. Do we see man as basically good but led astray at times or do we see man as basically not good and needs supervision and rules, From that one core value we can understand a number of behavior patterns of liberal/conservative.

If mankind doesn't need rules then you might as well toss the Bible out. Fairy tales and rules sums it up pretty damn well.

Where was it said that mankind does not need rules? But which ideology allows for a wider latitude of behavior? Which side generally calls for Goldwater's law and order?