Understanding Liberalism

For John, BLUF:  Language is important for conveying ideas, and thus precise language is useful for communication.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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You keep using the word “liberal:”  it doesn’t mean what you think it means

From Sarah A Downey Blog on Medium, by Ms Sarah A. Downey, 16 November 2020.

Here is the lede plus four:

If you think “liberal” and all the variations of “left” mean the same thing, let this be your wakeup call.

Many things described as “liberal” today mean the opposite of what was historically true and what many people expect, and this disconnect is likely contributing to some of heightened frustration we’re seeing in political arguments in 2020.

Be careful when using the word “liberal” if you care about clear language. Starting in roughly 2013, “liberal” veered sharply from its roots. It’s confusing, so much so that you’ll hear the word “illiberal” used to describe these contradictions (or “far/alt left,” or simply “not liberal”), while people sometimes use “classic liberal” to differentiate that they’re talking about basic enlightenment values.

What are classic liberal values?  They emerged from the age of enlightenment and include civil rights, free speech, free markets, separation of church and state, a balance of government powers, capitalism, freedom of religion, limited government, freedom of the press, and human rights.  The US constitution was founded explicitly on liberal principles.

Thus it’s possible, even approaching common, for moderates and Republicans to be more liberal than Democrats.

The way I see it.  I definitely don't see it as being equated with the Democratic Party.

I also think the terms "Left" and "Right" are out of date.  We need new terms.  The French Revolution is over, at least in the United States.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff