Definition of liberal

[demforever]

My 16-year old son asked me the other day what liberal means. I don't believe I gave him a good enough explanation even though I have been one all of my life. Can someone please give me a short definition of liberal so I can explain it to him. Thank you.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

1. from dictionary.com

6 entries found for liberal.
lib·er·al ( P ) Pronunciation Key (lbr-l, lbrl)
adj.

Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism.
Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.

Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor.
Generous in amount; ample: a liberal serving of potatoes.
Not strict or literal; loose or approximate: a liberal translation.
Of, relating to, or based on the traditional arts and sciences of a college or university curriculum: a liberal education.

Archaic. Permissible or appropriate for a person of free birth; befitting a lady or gentleman.
Obsolete. Morally unrestrained; licentious.

n.
A person with liberal ideas or opinions.
Liberal A member of a Liberal political party.


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liber·al·ly adv.
liber·al·ness n.
Synonyms: liberal, bounteous, bountiful, freehanded, generous, handsome, munificent, openhanded
These adjectives mean willing or marked by a willingness to give unstintingly: a liberal backer of the arts; a bounteous feast; bountiful compliments; a freehanded host; a generous donation; a handsome offer; a munificent gift; fond and openhanded grandparents. See also synonyms at broad-minded
Antonyms: stingy

[rolleitreks]

2. Here's one I've always admired

"CONSERVATIVE, n.
A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others." -- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

Which, while more cynical than many would like, has the ring of truth to me.

[lefthandedskyhook]

3. There really is no short answer...

Wikipedia has some good info on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal

Synonyms can help too: http://thesaurus.reference.com/search?q=liberal

[MadAsHell]

4. Here's one that I think hits the mark ...

Sen. John F. Kennedy, acceptance of the New York Liberal Party Nomination, September 14, 1960:

What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party and its members demonstrate that we are not that kind of "Liberal." But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal."

-snip-

I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, in human liberty as the source of national action, in the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of our invention and our ideas. It is, I believe, the faith in our fellow citizens as individuals and as people that lies at the heart of the liberal faith. For liberalism is not so much a party creed or set of fixed platform promises as it is an attitude of mind and heart, a faith in man's ability through the experiences of his reason and judgment to increase for himself and his fellow men the amount of justice and freedom and brotherhood which all human life deserves.

[Wat_Tyler]

5. Frederick the Great found it hard to find a mate.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

6. Lafayette had a pet that was at the vet when it got wet with doctor sweat

[Wat_Tyler]

7. Washington was moshing on dancing at the ball.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

8. Nixon was doing the monkey when he saw Saigon fall

[Wat_Tyler]

18. Kennedy said when a day would come he would go too.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

19. But Johnson had a johnson that went all the way to his shoe

[Wat_Tyler]

21. Eisenhower liked pies and flour, Nixon all the fixin's.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

23. Millard Fillmore enjoyed a cheap whore but Adams went for madams

[Wat_Tyler]

24. Jackson liked to whack sons, van Buren drank Lake Huron.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

26. Grant split his pants but Jefferson loved France

[Wat_Tyler]

Yeats stayed with his mates, Behan was on the can.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

28. Coleridge loved opium a tidge but Milton loved his stilton

[Wat_Tyler]

29. Wordsworth knew a word's worth, Byron found them tirin'

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

31. Poe was in the know that Irving was unnerving

[Beware the Beast Man]

9. Von Steuben ate a Reuben with rotten sauerkraut.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

13. Queen Latifah smoked some reefer and drank a Guinnes stout

[Beware the Beast Man]

15. Seacrest, OUT!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

17. Baptist, LOUT!

[Wat_Tyler]

20. Wilde was quite mild, but Joyce was rather moist.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

22. Emerson had tremors some when drinking Jamaican rum

[Wat_Tyler]

25. Shaw ran from the law, while Keats sucked on the teats.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

27. Hugo drove a Yugo but Twain rode a train

[Wat_Tyler]

30. Emperor Norton got pretty wartorn, Spring-heeled Jack was on attack.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

32. Taft was quite daft though Roosevelt wore a leather belt

[HEyHEY]

10. I like dancing

:-)

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

11. I like romancing

[Beware the Beast Man]

14. I'm a Capricorn and she's a Cancing?

:shrug:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

16. I climbed the Materhorn and commenced to prancing

[eataTREE]

12. Broad generalizations ahead.

A lot of people measure a person's political stance along two separate axes: the social and the fiscal.

Social conservatives would probably consider themselves fans of traditional values. They tend to believe that traditional social norms strengthen society and should be encouraged by public policy. They tend to be anti-abortion and anti-gay-rights. They tend to favour censorship of arts or media that they find offensive.

Social liberals believe that, just because society was structured a certain way in the past does not necessarily mean we should continue to structure society in the same way in the present -- especially if the "old way" perpetuated injustices, such as restrictive traditional roles for women. They tend to be pro-choice and pro-gay-rights, and value free speech above the sensibilities of the majority.

Fiscal conservatives believe that government ought to tax little and spend little. They tend to be great believers in the free market as the most efficient way to deliver goods and services. They abhor government borrowing (deficits and debts) and generally want to cut government services in favour of a balanced budget. Note that the Bush Administration has thus far failed to meet any definition of fiscal conservatism.

Fiscal liberals believe that the free market tends to concentrate wealth in the hands of a few, which in the long term is detrimental to society as a whole. Thus they are generally in favour of regulating the market in order to achieve a broader distribution of wealth. They favour progressive taxation (where the richer you are, the higher percentage of your income is taxed) and entitlement programs that aid the poor and middle class. Fiscal liberals generally prefer balanced budgets as well, but prefer to see this happen via more taxation rather than less government spending.

It is possible to be a fiscal conservative and a social liberal, and vice versa. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a good example of a politician who is fairly conservative fiscally and moderate to liberal socially. Likewise, it is possible to be fiscally liberal and socially conservative. George Bush probably fits this category better than any other.

Hope that helps.

[demforever]

33. Thank you! Thank you!

I love DU with all my heart. Thank you for the answers.