Liberals

In American politics, political thoughts and actions are often grouped into categories. The liberal category is one that focuses on individual liberties that are unconventional in to old conservative thought. American politics is historically conservative in thought and practice. Meaning, that the practices of the average American citizen have followed tradition concerning; marriage, abortion, immigration, gun control, the first amendment, education, health care, etc… Liberals do not have one set way of thinking. The way they view important issues changes according to the time period the world is in. A liberal can also be affected by prominent current issues in a government. In America liberals are usually the most controversial of all political groups. They push the envelope from conservative thinking the most, and fight to change the laws of the nation.

Certain states are more liberal than others in a American. Historically the east coast states like Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, and west coast states like California, and Nevada have been very liberal. In Many of these states, individual constitutions incorporate new liberal ideas into the system. Massachusetts for example has passed gay marriage, a move that caused very controversial debates is Washington. Liberals in Massachusetts pushed for this change and now can marry within the same sex. Many conservatives feel that this undermines the original intentions of America’s forefathers. Liberals believe the exact opposite. Instead of assuming that the forefathers of America intended for the constitution to be interpreted one certain way, liberal Americans push for the same ideas to be interpreted differently. California is a liberal state that has made the use of marijuana legal for medical purposes. Many conservative politicians believe that this promotes illegal drug trafficking, marketing it easier for people to find drugs on streets. This change in the legal system has left the avenue open for other states to do the same. Hence changing the scope of America as a whole.
Most liberals are members of the democratic party in America. This is so because the democratic party pushes for more liberal ideas. In the post war period, liberals supported government intervention, and welfare. After the cold war liberal thought became more supportive of economic issues and moved closer to socialism. Now, liberals mostly support affirmative action, gay marriage, and a women’s right to choose. Because of liberal ideas, the United States now has an African American president who was elected by the majority. This country also has moved toward a health care plan that’s geared toward coverage for all citizens. People are creatures of habit, and accept things based on a majority. These changes are proof that liberals make an impact in the way people across the country think, and how government will operate for them.

Liberals have been consistent in changing the scope of the country as a whole. In a democratic society like America, where the citizens have the power to change constitutions in every state individually, change is inevitable. A liberal citizen moves with the times, and helps move a country toward growth.

Liberalism

In America political thought is grouped in categories. These categories are used to distinguish people based on their political views and preferences. One of the most controversial groups to fall in is the that of a liberal. Liberalism is the belief that equality and liberty for every individual is most important. Political liberalism covers many different political topics, and many different ideas regarding them. A participant in liberalism supports issues such as constitutions, liberal democracy, elections, civil rights, human rights, animal rights, free trade, economic issues, innovation, immigration, and much more. Many of these ideas are accepted by many groups in the United States, both political and private. Sometimes however political liberalism, incorporates intellectual trends and tradition. This fact makes it every changing and innovative, with a constant need to reinvent itself to go along with the times.

Political liberalism first became prominent during the time of the great John Locke. During this time many ideas were based of social status, religion, and the absolute power rule. John Lock introduced the idea that government should be reflective of those that it governed. This new form of governing opened the door for change to be brought about change in an arena that was stale in thought. Ideas of liberalism like the fundamental right to life, liberty, and property are actually at the base of the constitution. This gives leeway for politics to constantly change to the more liberal form its in today.
Later, during the French and American revolutions, liberalism was used to get rid of autocratic rule. Modern history is based off of political liberalism that keeps nations free of Tyranny. Citizens have the ability to choose who governs and for how long. Before these revolutions, governments were fun by wealthy families, and rulers, instead of average citizens, and government officials. Later, political liberalism helped to end race wars between Americans in the sixties. Many people began to revolt against government policies and race relations in America, to unite people based on more important factors other than race. Even during conservative times as the sixties liberalism broke the mold to ensure political growth in the future.

Because of these times in history, liberalism consists of more organized political groups and organizations that lobby toward important issues of today. Political liberalism also played a decisive role in the growth of republics, the spread of civil rights and civil, the establishment of the modern welfare state, the institution of religious toleration and religious freedom, and the development of globalization. Currently issues like gay marriage, drug trafficking, religion, and abortion are issues that liberalism focuses on. Liberalism is a vague category in politics and can be used to change many things. The Unites States and the world are using liberal thought to change governments and its people. Old ideas in a new world are unnecessary and do not work to the advantage of any nation or its people. Political liberalism ensures that a nation and its people do not remain stagnant, but that they grow with the times.

Liberal views

Liberal views consist of many political issues that are very important to people in America. Many of these issues affect people directly and are highly personal in nature. Some of these liberal views include, the war in Iraq, health care reform, education, the economy, free trade, social issues, abortion, and energy and environment. In these areas the liberal view is felt the most.

The liberal view on health care reform is that the need for a universal system is necessary and feasible. This type of reform would require more government involvement in the lives of the average Americans. This view is not consistent the constitutional idea that each person is entitled to his/her own life. This would also require that every business incorporate health care into their budget, making it even more difficult to run a business. Liberal views support this because a health care system that is universal in nature will help the quality of life and help reduce the level of debt for the average American.

Liberal views on economic issues is the a concern that too much help is being given to businesses and organizations to bail them out of the economic crisis. While the liberal view supports government involvement, they only support it when it is beneficial to the nation as a whole. The issues that are keeping the country stagnant are credit issues that continuously force individuals and government to borrow from others. These economic issues are not generally supported by liberals.

The liberal view on education is that every child, no matter their learning level, background, or environment should have access to equal and adequate education. The no child left behind act is a bill that supports this very notion. It keeps schools and administrators from passing students just to get them by instead of investing the proper amount of time and resources to help the child learn. This bill incorporates different learning styles, and unique ideologies. Liberal views support the no child left behind act in an effort to change the education system in this country. Many students lose the hunger to learn when placed in environments that are too difficult or embarrassing. To curve this issue, certain levels of learning have been established. For example, special needs classes, where students that need it, get extra attention and moderation.

Freedom of choice issues are those issues that affect an individual on a case by case basis, these issues gain tremendous support liberals because individual rights are important to them. Some of these issues include marijuana, abortion, gay marriage, and gun rights. Many liberal views support the need for a circumstantial law on all these practices. Others, specifically regarding marijuana support a significant change.
Liberal views regarding fresher issues like the environment vary in that they are circumstantial as well. However the overall liberal view is that the environment needs to be saved, and fast. This is an exact example of how liberal views come about and why they are so important to society today. A liberal will make a decision on an issue after knowing what the alternatives are to each. After deciding on a new way to achieve a common goal liberals make it a duty to accomplish a given task, making them the most important of all decision makers.

Liberals and politics

In America political thought is grouped in categories. These categories are used to distinguish people based on their political views and preferences. One of the most controversial groups to fall in is the that of a liberal. Liberals and politics incorporate the belief that equality and liberty for every individual is most important. Liberals and politics covers many different political topics, and many different ideas regarding them. A participant in liberalism supports issues such as constitutions, liberal democracy, elections, civil rights, human rights, animal rights, free trade, economic issues, innovation, immigration, and much more. Many of these ideas are accepted by many groups in the United States, both political and private. Sometimes however liberal politics, incorporates intellectual trends and tradition. This fact makes it every changing and innovative, with a constant need to reinvent itself to go along with the times.

liberal politics first became prominent during the time of the great John Locke. During this time many ideas were based of social status, religion, and the absolute power rule. John Lock introduced the idea that government should be reflective of those that it governed. This new form of governing opened the door for change to be brought about change in an arena that was stale in thought. Ideas of liberal politics like the fundamental right to life, liberty, and property are actually at the base of the constitution. This gives leeway for politics to constantly change to the more liberal form its in today.

Later, during the French and American revolutions, liberals in politics were used to get rid of autocratic rule. Modern history is based off of liberal politics that keeps nations free of Tyranny. Citizens have the ability to choose who governs and for how long. Before these revolutions, governments were fun by wealthy families, and rulers, instead of average citizens, and government officials. Later, liberals and politics helped to end race wars between Americans in the sixties. Many people began to revolt against government policies and race relations in America, to unite people based on more important factors other than race. Even during conservative times as the sixties liberal politics broke the mold to ensure political growth in the future.
Because of these times in history, liberal politics consists of more organized political groups and organizations that lobby toward important issues of today. Liberals and politics also played a decisive role in the growth of republics, the spread of civil rights and civil, the establishment of the modern welfare state, the institution of religious toleration and religious freedom, and the development of globalization. Currently issues like gay marriage, drug trafficking, religion, and abortion are issues that liberalism focuses on. Liberal politics is a vague category in politics and can be used to change many things. The Unites States and the world are using liberal thought to change governments and its people. Old ideas in a new world are unnecessary and do not work to the advantage of any nation or its people. Liberals and politics ensures that a nation and its people do not remain stagnant, but that they grow with the times.

Classic liberalism

Classic liberalism is an ideology that developed in Europe and America during the nineteenth century. Classical liberalism incorporated ideas of limited government, liberties like freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and the free market. Many influential individuals contributed to the growth and development of classical liberalism including; John- Baptiste Shay, David Ricardo, and John Locke. Classical liberalism refers to anytime before the twentieth century. This form of liberalism is used when speaking of economic freedoms and limited government.
Classic liberalism was the first time anyone challenged the organization and implementation of government agencies. In the united states, classic liberalism took a fast following because it involved little opposition to American ideals. Because of slavery, many of the aspects of liberalism had nothing to do with the economy before this. As time passed farmers were not needed as much and the Industrial revolution came about making the need for skilled workers more prominent. At this turning point a man named Andrew Jackson started to raise questions regarding economic incentives to follow classical liberalism. This became important because as America’s industrial sector grew, so didn’t the need for currency exchange. This made liberal schools of thought sensible in helping America grow.
Classical liberalism remained stable until the great depression when economic downturn caused a crisis and food shortage. Economic hardships started taking over the nation, and the blame was placed on the new way of thinking or classical liberalism. Because of this voters demanded that the government relieve them of these hardships, hence creating an avenue yet again that ideas of classic liberalism be incorporated.

Classic liberalism places emphasis on sovereignty of a nation and the individual. To a liberal, the right to property is just as important as the right to one s own liberty. Classical liberalism argues against direct democracy, and for a market free of control. This to many liberal was and is the only way to progress as people. Many, like Adam Smith argued that lifting the restrictions on free trade would promote issues like world peace and global companionship. In many ways classic liberalism has promoted interaction between countries through trade and production. A major part of this liberal way of thinking has made some of today’s issues a prevalent as they are today.

Classic liberalism protects against an individuals inalienable rights. This means that no government entity may obstruct ones natural rights. It incorporates a standard to limit the influence of government and keep them from becoming too in control of its citizens. Systems are put into place that check and balance a governments actions, and ensures that citizens are treated fairly. Classical liberalism strays away from negatives systems and rules to follow. It was liberal ides that founded all the great things about the American nation, and still influences many other governments around the world. Liberalists sought to empower people, agencies, new ideas, and prosperity. Instead of relying on old ideas and practices they challenged tyrants, and dynasties. Today they seek to do the exact same thing, only this time they will tackle the new system that their school of thought help build.

Modern liberalism

Modern liberalism is an ideology that is focused on individual rights. These rights are those outlined in the constitution, and affect every person within this established nation. Current liberalism focuses on controversial issues like abortion, gay marriage, and health care. These three issues are major factors in society, and political campaigns. In a nation that operates based on votes, an organized group of liberals hold the power to change current issues affecting society.

Abortion is an issue that has been controversial since forever. Modern liberalism protects a women’s right to chose whether or not she wants to abort a pregnancy. The problem comes when conservative thinkers, influence states and laws to prohibit this exact choice. That’s where current liberalism gets its voice from. Liberalism fights to change the governments hold on individual decisions. The checks and balances set up in this situation protect the woman from having to follow some set rule when it comes to decisions about her body. Modern liberalism incorporates the believe that a woman may have a certain amount of time to terminate a pregnancy. However, that decision should not be left up to the state legislature, but to the woman.

Gay marriage is a new issue in the realm of modern liberalism that is perhaps one of the most controversial issue to date. Many times conservatives will mix religion with politics and governing. Current liberalism supports the unity of two individuals and doesn’t define marriage as the unity of just a man and a woman. Liberal states like Massachusetts support this notion, and allow the unity of individuals of the same sex. A nation that gives freedoms for a number of different things, has no right to dictate peoples lives. Society is changing and new issues like this are forming, with much resistance from conservatives.

Health care reform is an issue that sparks much debate at the moment. Modern liberalism as well as conservative, are in great debate on whether to implement universal health care. According to current liberalism, people have a right to health care, and they also have the right to make money from it, meaning insurance companies have a right to create a business off it. This is where the debate comes in. Health care universally will drive down health care costs, and keep a larger majority of Americans healthy. Some believe that offering to pay for everyone will keep individuals responsible for keeping others healthy, by paying more taxes. These taxes will increase rapidly as more people reproduce and need more health care. States like Massachusetts who have roots in modern liberalism already incorporate universal health care for all its citizens, however the country as a whole does not.

Current liberalism is always changing, and incorporates organized attempts at changing current issues. Social change is inevitable, and needs innovative ideas to gear society toward success. Liberal ideas have changed government since the early nineteenth century , and will continue to do so. Modern Liberalism is a new version of what classic liberalism used to be, but it still protects natural rights for the individual.

Social liberalism

Social liberalism, is a reformulation of 19th century liberalism. A social liberal believes that out of control capitalism is a hindrance to true freedom. Instead of the negative freedom of classical liberalism, social liberalism offers positive freedom that would allow individuals to prosper with public assistance in health, education and welfare. This includes government intervention in the economy and provides full employment and protection of human rights. These ideas were first adopted and implemented in much of the capitalist world, particularly following the Second World War. Social liberal ideas and parties tend to be considered centrist.

A reaction to social liberalism in the late 20th century, is called neoliberalism. This led to monetary policies regarding the economy, and a reduction in government provisions. However, as governments continued to provide social services and retained control over economic policy, social liberal ideas remains in limbo.

Social liberalism is also sometimes called new liberalism. The Liberal International is the main international organization of liberal parties, which include, among other liberal variants, social liberal parties. A social liberal is considered their own party. It believes in the following principles: human rights, free and fair elections and multiparty-democracy, social justice, tolerance, social market economy, free trade, environmental sustainability and a strong sense of international solidarity.

In the eighteen seventies and the eighteen eighties, the economists Richard Ely, John Bates Clark, and Henry Carter Adams, influenced both by evangelical Protestantism and socialism, were critical of conditions caused by industrial relations and sympathetic to labor unions, but none developed a systematic political philosophy, and later abandoned sympathy to socialism. Social liberalism may also refer to simply support educational reform, civil rights, human rights, and civil liberties. Mostly a social liberal is a part of the democratic party. One can be a social liberal and conservative in other ways. American political discourse resisted this social turn in European liberalism. While the economic policies of the New Deal appeared Keynesian, there was no revision of liberal theory in favor of greater state initiative. Since America lacked an effective socialist movement, however, New Deal policies often appeared radical and were attacked by the right. A social liberal can be seen as someone that has come out of a rebellion. This rebellion is in response to the industrial issues of the mid nineteen twenties. Although nations prospered due to free trade and the move away from farming, many individuals experienced rapid poverty due to the new class structure that sun out of it all. Many people were not equipped with the necessary skill to work in all the industrial fields. Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in asserting that a liberal state should provide jobs, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding civil rights. Under social liberalism, the good of the community is viewed as harmonious with the freedom of the individual.

Economic Liberalism

Economic liberalism is a useful term to describe theories propounded in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The term was coined by nineteenth-century thinkers to describe their own theories; rather than economics. Nevertheless, economic liberalism usefully describes theories of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that defended the individual liberty to buy, sell, work, employ, and trade without restriction or governmental interference. The general idea of economic liberalism is captured in the French phrase of the era, laissez-faire, or ‘leave people alone’. Liberalism and economics believe the idea that people should be left alone because their self-interested activities in the market were self-regulating, guided by natural economic laws that were far more indicative of social well-being than when they follow directions of government officials. Thus, economic liberalism was the doctrine coined and influences by seventeenth-century English, French, and Dutch scholars who were critical of state restraints on trade and regulation of interests rates.

Liberalism and economics can be seen as a response to the wide-ranging policies of European governments from the sixteenth century onward to shape economic activity for state purposes. Such state policies are designated by historians as mercantilism. Economic liberalism manifested itself in systematic criticism of such state interference for violating natural economic laws to the detriment of society. Liberalism and economics arose after a wide variety of authors who had spent decades speculating about economic processes articulated natural economic laws that produced an automatic self-regulation of economic activity. The point to all this was social well being. The enormous financial demands of state-building in the modern era led Europe to start efforts for new revenues. Taxation was increased and expanded, and the sale of exclusive monopolies for the production of goods and trade, domestic and foreign, also brought new revenues. Thus, in France, the seventeenth-century minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert transformed the medieval system of producers’ guilds into state-licensed monopolies in goods ranging from salt to lace. In England, trade monopolies were granted for trade with Russia, the Middle East, and India and southeast Asia. By the seventeenth century in Europe, almost any foreign goods people used were likely imported by a trade monopoly; any domestic goods, by someone operating under a monopoly patent. The notion of liberalism and economics being developed out of a century’s observation of the regularity of markets is true. The rising prices producing increased supplies, and of gluts in the market producing falling prices made liberalism and economics a revolution. Many writers believed that the cause of such regularities was economic actors responding to opportunities for personal gain. Thus, the seventeenth century saw a new regard for self-interest. On the one hand, self-interest came to be seen as a more rational, less dangerous motivation for human behavior than the passions. On the other hand, because self-interest involved rational calculation, some believed that acts of self-interest demonstrated the same kinds of regularity in human nature as was found in other scientific laws in the natural realm. Theories in support of economic liberalism were developed in the Enlightenment, and believed to be first fully formulated by Adam Smith, which advocates minimal interference of government in a market economy, though it does not necessarily oppose the state’s provision of a few basic public goods with what constitutes public goods originally being seen as very limited.

Conservatism VS Liberalism

Conservatism is the belief in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Many that believe in Conservatism believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems Liberalism is the belief in governmental action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all, and that it is the duty of the State to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Many that believe in liberalism believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. They also believe that people are basically good in nature. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve people’s problems.

In terms of abortion, conservatism believes human life begins at conception. Abortion is the murder of a human being and nobody has the right to murder a human being. This is the main reason these people consider abortions illegal. Conservatism support legislation to prohibit partial birth abortions, called the Partial Birth Abortion Ban. A partial birth abortion is considered the killing of an unborn baby of at least twenty weeks by pulling it out of the birth canal with forceps, but leaving the head inside. An incision is then made in the back of the baby’s neck and the brain tissue is suctioned out. The head is then removed from the uterus. Conservatism does not except this as appropriate and always makes the correlation between law and religion. Liberalism supports freedom of choice.

In relation to affirmative action, conservatism is the belief that people should be admitted to schools and hired for jobs based on their ability. It is unfair to use race as a factor in the selection process. Reverse discrimination is not a solution for racism but handouts shouldn’t be given due past issues. Liberalism is the belief that due to prevalent racism in the past, minorities were deprived of the same education and employment opportunities as whites, hence we need to make up for that. Those that support liberalism, support affirmative action based on the belief that America is still a racist society. Many believe that minorities still lag behind whites in all statistical measurements of success. Additionally, the presence of minorities creates diversity in the work place and is needed to promote reverse forms of diversity.
In relation to the death penalty, conservatism believes the death penalty is a punishment that fits the crime; it is neither cruel nor unusual. Many believe that executing a murderer is the appropriate punishment for taking an innocent life. Liberalism believes that the death penalty should be abolished. Many believe that the death penalty is inhumane and is cruel and unusual punishment. Liberalism affirms that it does not deter crime, and imprisonment is the appropriate punishment. The worst part of an execution is that every execution risks killing an innocent person. Opinions are the most important of political thought and legislation. Both forms of political thought are polar opposites, but serve significant purposes in politics.

Political Theory

Students of political theory made it a point to distinguish this field form the study of political theories. This created a renewed interest in ideology in general. Political theory referred either to ideas used by states or political actors to justify programs of reform or revolution or to a variety of isms that ran from right to left but were to be studied as persuasive ideas without serious analytical content. To legitimate the field of political theory as an interpretive and analytic enterprise, academics in the field found it necessary to ensure that it could not be reduced to the study of ideology, which was seen as an inferior form of political knowing. This represents a missed opportunity to discover another tradition of political science that connected political theory to ideology. This tradition saw political theories as the testing of political ideas by placing them in the sociological context of political conflict in which these ideas are fought out.

Recently there has been a revival of this project. To lay out what this project entails, I suggest three ways of conceptualizing this field of political struggle: the existential, the political sociological, and the reflexive understanding of the political sociological context as itself part of political theories. I argue this last approach is the most promising. This made it easy , by opening, to contesting the political world in which we place our political theories. It also promises to provide a way to reconnect political theory to a broadly conceived empirical political science without assuming political science has some unique purchase on the political world.

Aristotle, was a Greek philosopher, logician, and scientist. Along with his teacher Plato, Aristotle is generally regarded as one of the most influential ancient thinkers in a number of philosophical fields, including political theory. Aristotle was born in Stagira in northern Greece, and his father was a court physician to the king of Macedon. As a young man he studied in Plato’s Academy in Athens. After Plato’s death he left Athens to conduct philosophical and biological research in Asia Minor and Lesbos, and he was then invited by King Philip II of Macedon to tutor his young son, Alexander the Great. Soon after Alexander succeeded his father, consolidated the conquest of the Greek city-states, and launched the invasion of the Persian Empire. Aristotle returned as a resident alien to Athens, and was close friend of Antipater the Macedonian viceroy. At this time he wrote some of his major treatises, including the Politics which laid out political theory. When Alexander died suddenly, Aristotle had to flee from Athens because of his Macedonian connections, and he died soon after. Aristotle’s life seems to have influenced his political theories in various ways: his interest in biology seems to be expressed in the naturalism of his politics; his interest in comparative politics and his sympathies for democracy as well as monarchy may have been encouraged by his travels and experience of diverse political systems; he criticizes harshly, while borrowing extensively, from Plato’s Republic, Statesman, and Laws; and his own Politics is use a guide when evaluating political theories.