Liberalism

Overview

Liberalism, at its core, is a political philosophy which holds that individual liberty is the most important consideration.

Liberalism:

• emphasizes individual rights
• seeks a society characterized by:
  • freedom of thought for individuals
  • limitations on political power (especially of government and religion)
  • the rule of law (as opposed to e.g. arbitrary commands of a king or despot)
  • the free exchange of ideas
  • a market economy supporting free private enterprise
  • a transparent system of government that protects specific rights for all citizens equally

In the modern age, liberals tend to prefer a liberal democratic form of government while realizing that such is merely the best known expression of liberal ideals and far from perfect.

The exact nature of liberalism as a social and political force varies significantly from country to country:

• US liberalism
• UK liberalism
• Australia liberalism

Reference

• Wikipedia
• Conservapedia
• dKosopedia
• SourceWatch

Writings

• John F. Kennedy: On Being a Liberal (this may be more relevant to US liberalism in particular)