On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 11:54 AM, Daniel Rocha <danieldi...@gmail.com> wrote:
Liberalism is supporting government? Shouldn't it be the opposite? I mean, > liberalism is a typical conservative stance, for example, the more > conservative the republican, the more liberal it is. Liberal as meaning > interference of the government with the economy. The most liberal of the > republican nowadays are Ron Paul supporters, after him comes neo cons and > Reagan fans... We've been using the term "liberal" in a way that is specific to the US political context. The meaning of the word has changed over time. It used to mean "free markets, minimal regulation," and in economics it still does. But now, in general American usage, it means something closer to social democracy without the socialism (or with it, some would argue!). Even in the US, there is no clear-cut definition for "conservative" or "liberal." People who call themselves liberal and conservative have a wide range of beliefs, often overlapping. In the US these two camps fight one another tooth and nail for political supremacy. Things have gotten worse over the last several decades, and now effective decision making has largely ground to a halt in preference to political posturing and a perpetual election cycle. Eric
