Liberal philosophy gained momentum during the Age of Enlightenment, questioning and defying traditionally established constructs of kingly divine right, supremacy of the clergy, and government regardless of consent. Famous liberal thinkers like John Locke bootstrapped the fledgling philosophy with brilliant tracts that eventually made their way into the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America and ultimately into the zenith of the country’s legal framework, the Constitution. The economic side of liberalism is a promotion of laissez-faire capitalism, a fundamental component of the functioning market that thrives today in the United States.
Taking even the general definition of liberalism (" a political or social philosophy advocating the freedom of the individual, parliamentary systems of government, nonviolent modification of political, social, or economic institutions to assure unrestricted development in all spheres of human endeavor, and governmental guarantees of individual rights and civil liberties"- Webster’s), does it not seem that opponents or general hostiles to the idea either are ignorant of its factual definition or are simply employing it as a facade to conservative bigotry?
And to the recent answers, the definition of liberalism I posted is current and the philosophical description is accurate. If you do not know the subject being discussed, do not answer this question because it simply makes you seem annoying and worthless. Thanks. (Oh, and if you do want to look up what liberalism is, just search some basic sites like dictionary.com or wikipedia.com before you start spouting garbage).
To the 3rd answer, I have a master’s in Political Science so I’m quite confident that I comprehend these principles to a greater clarity than you do. I am not combining any concepts; I made it expressly clear that I was referring to liberalism, not "liberals" or anything of that "general dimension." Take some time to purchase a dictionary so you can comprehend standard English. In the standard definition that follows from 18th century liberalism, liberals are the ones that are true to the foundations of this country. Conservatives are those who wish to make tradition an inescapable prison and maintain a status quo regardless of whether it is justified or whether it can be improved. Conservatives were against breaking tradition when the women’s suffrage movement sparked in the 1920s; conservatives were against civil liberties for minorities during the 1960s, all in the name of ‘conserving’ a tradition that benefited the few and oppressed the many. That is not democracy and that is not what the United States of America is; to say that a conservative today is of the same ideological ilk as the founding fathers, whether related by blood to them or not, is an offense against this nation tantamount to treason.

Because there are far to many people who just don’t know when to stop.

5 Responses

1. Vickilynn Says:
   December 18th, 2009 at 2:33 am

   it’s time to take your meds again
   References :

2. Leafan Says:
   December 18th, 2009 at 2:49 am

   What weed were you smoking when you wrote that question?
   Liberalism has been redefined since FDR.

   Man, go read some of the founding fathers works.
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3. John Says:
   December 18th, 2009 at 3:13 am

   You are conflating definitions describing two separate concepts that you do not understand.

   Classical liberalism or laissez-faire capitalism is called conservatism today. It is promoted by conservatives that used to be called liberals until Marxists (who are NOT liberal) hijacked the term from them.

   The English founding fathers were classical liberals or libertarians NOT liberals in the modern American sense of the word whose meaning has changed since the advent of Marxism.
   References :
   Master of Science degree. Also one of my ancestors was a Founding Father and signed the Declaration of Independence. Funny that you are trying to tell me he was a modern style liberal when I know for a fact that he was an enlightened property rights/limited government conservative (just like his descendants are).

4. phil Says:
   December 18th, 2009 at 4:03 am

   you really need to understand what liberal means today,conservatives are the ones that back what this country was founded on,liberals ignore it
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5. booboo Says:
   December 18th, 2009 at 4:33 am

   Because there are far to many people who just don’t know when to stop.
   References :

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