Liberals & Conservatives - discuss.

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FizzingWhizzbees

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Hi guys,
We seem to have quite a few discussions where the labels "liberal" or "conservative" are used to describe people or ideas. So I wondered what sort of beliefs people associate with liberalism and conservatism.

I'm using the term liberal in the way it's most commonly used in the US, that is to describe someone left-of-centre, as opposed to the liberalism you learn about in political ideologies class which is essentially the belief in free markets and strictly limited government. (Of course that definition is open to debate.) And I'm using conservative in pretty much the only way you can use the word.

*Fizz
 
No one biting? Okay, I got teeth for this. I'll start...

Regarding "moral values" and "truth" (the BIG truth) , I think of liberals as "relativists" and conservatives as "absolutists" (is that a word?)
 
80sU2isBest said:

Regarding "moral values" and "truth" (the BIG truth) , I think of liberals as "relativists" and conservatives as "absolutists" (is that a word?)

And this is why each needs the other. When Conservatives get caught in their own "absolutism," they need liberals to get them out of it. When liberals can't make any decisions, they call in the conservatives to get to the core issue.
 
martha said:


And this is why each needs the other. When Conservatives get caught in their own "absolutism," they need liberals to get them out of it. When liberals can't make any decisions, they call in the conservatives to get to the core issue.

:hug:

We like you!!!! We really like you!!!!!


Nice post Martha!
 
I think both terms are relative, and are more about cultural opposition than ideological opposition. As we have seen over the past decades and centuries, what is "liberal" and what is "conservative" changes. What hasn't changed is that both sides attack each other.

Back in the day, liberalism was about action and conservatism was about inaction--hence the belief that liberalism was "future-oriented" and that conservatism was "past-oriented." Right now, for better or for worse, I think those roles have switched. Most of the prominent futurists right now seem to be from the right-wing camp.

Melon
 
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