Liberal Social Ideology

A Liberal Social Ideology is a social ideology based on liberal values (such as individual liberty, consent of the governed and equality before the law).

• AKA: Liberalism.
• Context:
  • It can (typically) support individual rights (including civil rights and human rights), democracy, secularism, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and a market economy.
  • It can (often) aspire to Social Progress.
  • It can (often) support Individual Rights, such as: Free Speech Rights.
  • It can (often) support Egalitarianism and be skeptical of Social Authority and Concentrated Power.
  • It can be held by a Liberal Ideologue.
  • It can range from being a Radical Liberalism to being a Conservative Liberalism.
  • It can range from being an Intra-National Liberalism to being an Inter-National Liberalism.
• Example(s):
  • Democratic Liberalism.
  • Classical Liberalism.
  • Neo-Liberalism.
  • Economic Liberalism, such as a free-market ideology.
  • Social Liberalism.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • a Communistic Social Ideology (Communism), with its diminished role for individual liberty.
  • a Nietzschean Ideology.
  • an Social Anarchism.
• See: Libertarianism, Democratic Ideology, Conservatism, Civil Rights, Freedom of The Press, Freedom of Religion, Free Trade, Liberal Interventionism.

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References

2021

• (Wikipedia, 2021) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/liberalism Retrieved:2021-9-2.
  • Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on liberty, consent of the governed and equality before the law. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but they generally support individual rights (including civil rights and human rights), democracy, secularism, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and a market economy. Yellow is the political colour most commonly associated with liberalism. Liberalism became a distinct movement in the Age of Enlightenment, when it became popular among Western philosophers and economists. Liberalism sought to replace the norms of hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, the divine right of kings and traditional conservatism with representative democracy and the rule of law. Liberals also ended mercantilist policies, royal monopolies and other barriers to trade, instead promoting free trade and marketization. Philosopher John Locke is often credited with founding liberalism as a distinct tradition, based on the social contract, arguing that each man has a natural right to life, liberty and property and governments must not violate these rights. While the British liberal tradition has emphasized expanding democracy, French liberalism has emphasized rejecting authoritarianism and is linked to nation-building. Leaders in the British Glorious Revolution of 1688, the American Revolution of 1776 and the French Revolution of 1789 used liberal philosophy to justify the armed overthrow of royal tyranny. Liberalism started to spread rapidly especially after the French Revolution. The 19th century saw liberal governments established in nations across Europe and South America, whereas it was well-established alongside republicanism in the United States. In Victorian Britain, it was used to critique the political establishment, appealing to science and reason on behalf of the people. During 19th and early 20th century, liberalism in the Ottoman Empire and Middle East influenced periods of reform such as the Tanzimat and Al-Nahda as well as the rise of constitutionalism, nationalism and secularism. These changes, along with other factors, helped to create a sense of crisis within Islam, which continues to this day, leading to Islamic revivalism. Before 1920, the main ideological opponents of liberalism were communism, conservatism and socialism, but liberalism then faced major ideological challenges from fascism and Marxism–Leninism as new opponents. During the 20th century, liberal ideas spread even further, especially in Western Europe, as liberal democracies found themselves as the winners' in both world wars. In Europe and North America, the establishment of social liberalism (often called simply liberalism in the United States) became a key component in the expansion of the welfare state. Today, liberal parties continue to wield power and influence throughout the world. The fundamental elements of contemporary society have liberal roots. The early waves of liberalism popularised economic individualism while expanding constitutional government and parliamentary authority. Liberals sought and established a constitutional order that prized important individual freedoms, such as freedom of speech and freedom of association; an independent judiciary and public trial by jury; and the abolition of aristocratic privileges. Later waves of modern liberal thought and struggle were strongly influenced by the need to expand civil rights. Liberals have advocated gender and racial equality in their drive to promote civil rights and a global civil rights movement in the 20th century achieved several objectives towards both goals. Other goals often accepted by liberals include universal suffrage and universal access to education.

2018a

• The Economist. (2018). “The prophets of illiberal progress."
  • QUOTE: ... believe that argument and free speech establish good ideas and propagate them. They reject concentrations of power because dominant groups tend to abuse their privileges, oppressing others and subverting the common good. And they affirm individual dignity, which means that nobody, however certain they are, can force others to give up their beliefs. ... Liberals believe that all individuals share the same fundamental needs, so reason and compassion can bring about a better world. Marx thought that view was at best delusional and at worst a vicious ploy to pacify the workers. …

2018b

• The Economist. (2018). “Rawls rules."
  • QUOTE: ... pluralism and truly liberal values remain popular. Many people want to be treated as individuals, not as part of a group; they attend to what is being said, not just to who is saying it. …

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