4 Responses to “Liberals: The Children of Liberty”

1. Gabriel says:

   November 17, 2009 at 12:04 pm

   Wow.. I´m astonished as how much a term can differ in 2 countries: This Conservapedia says "Liberalism began as a movement for individual liberties, but today is increasingly statist, and in Europe even socialistic.”" For me, a liberal has to adhere to neoliberal economic practices, which are usually considered rightist, and is at the other extreme of socialism. For me, communists are not liberal at all, contrary to what seems common to think in the US.
2. Hrafnkell Haraldsson says:

   November 17, 2009 at 12:10 pm

   You have to keep in mind that the Conservapedia is skewed, but yes, there can be quite a different between countries. I was reading about this in my Encyclopedia of Philosophy…some terms don't translate well.
3. Makarios says:

   November 18, 2009 at 12:55 am

   Very well done indeed. Have you sent the link to Gus diZerega? As you know, he's a Pagan political scientist, and I would think that he would find it interesting.

   I remember reading somewhere the hypothesis that the polarization that characterizes the U.S., politically, socially, and just about every which way, can be attributed, in part, to the fact that the U.S. was founded on two historical bases: the Puritanism of the 17th century and the Enlightenment of the 18th. The values, principles, and motivations of these two world-views are obviously at loggerheads, and so it is not surprising that the U.S. winds up being, like South Park, a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.

   Again, well done. Thank you.
4. Hrafnkell Haraldsson says:

   November 18, 2009 at 3:25 am

   Thank you, Makarios. I agree about the essential polarity and its origins.

   I think personally that's where the Right gets confused. Yes, America is a Christian nation in terms of its population being overwhelmingly Christian in the 18th century, but they somehow mix that up with the system of government established by our Founding Fathers, and they ignore completely that the 18th century's own Evangelicals signed off on the system for the very reason today's Evangelicals are attacking it – it kept the govt and religion out of each others business.

   I haven't sent it to Gus DiZerega. Though I've been to his blog at Beliefnet I've never been a frequent visitor. If you think he might be interested and feel comfortable doing so, please forward it to him on my behalf.