As I read the newspapers and listen to commentary on the various forms of media, especially social media, I find that most people do not know what a liberal or conservative actually is. When someone tells me that he is a conservative, I ask him to define it. In most cases, the person can’t do this. When someone says he is a liberal, I ask him to define it. In most cases, the person can’t do this. As a Professor Emeritus of Political Science, I thought a brief essay based upon the work of Janda and Berry that I used many, many years when I taught the introductory class would help with the confusion.
To understand the terms liberal and conservative we must first look at the two major dilemmas faced by a democratic government like the United States (US). The first dilemma is the conflict between individual freedom and security/law and order/social norms and the second dilemma is the conflict between individual freedom and equality. The original dilemma faced by any government is the conflict between individual freedom and security/law and order/social norms. By definition, governments impose law and order and provide security for its citizens. They also protect social norms. For example, think about traffic laws. They restrict individual freedom but provide security or safety for the citizens. Think about an individual’s right to free speech. Is that individual freedom absolute? No. One can’t yell fire in a crowded theatre because it could cause someone to get hurt in the resulting stampede to the exits. Government has the right to restrict this type of speech to protect the community as a whole. Let’s say I work for the CIA and I give the Chinese the plans for our newest model of submarine. Is that individual freedom or can the government prevent this to protect its citizens? This would be a clear threat to the citizens as a whole, so this can be limited. What about vaccines? As an individual one could argue that if the government forces one to take a vaccine, it is limiting one's freedom. But, the government could argue that its primary job is to protect the people (provide security) as a whole from a virus that has killed more than 850, 000 people. The abortion issue also represents the trade-off between individual freedom and social norms.
The real question is where do we as a society draw the line in the trade-off between individual freedom and security/law and order/social norms? Neither is absolute and in the case of the US, the line has moved over time. Think about pre-9-11 and post 9-11. Since 9-11 the line has moved toward security/law and order and away from individual freedom.
The second or so-called modern dilemma faced by the US is the conflict or trade-off between individual freedom and equality. Equality is of fundamental importance in a democracy as is individual freedom. As a private businessman can I simply not hire African-Americans to work from me? That represents individual freedom but the US has stated clearly that this violates the principle that all should be treated equally. As a business owner, I could decide to pay men more than women who are doing the same job. As a private citizen I could argue that this is my individual freedom. Again, this clearly violates the principle that all should be treated equally. Should there be a minimum wage? If you support this, then you are favor equality over individual freedom. Should there be government economic benefits to low income families? If you support this, then you are in favor of equality over individual freedom. Should some have greater access to vote than others? Should one support affirmative action? I think you can see the dilemma here. Again, neither individual freedom nor equality has been absolute. The line has always been somewhere between them and the line has changed over the years. Think about pre and post Civil War or pre-Civil Rights Act of 1964 and post-Civil Rights Act of 1964 or think about pre and post women gaining the right to vote.
Ultimately, the question is how much individual freedom should be sacrificed to achieve both security/law and order/social norms and equality?
If a person has (1) a tendency to favor equality over individual freedom and (2) a tendency to favor individual freedom over security/law and order/social norms, that person is a liberal.
If a person has (1) a tendency to favor individual freedom over equality and (2) a tendency to favor security/law and order/social norms over individual freedom, that person is a conservative.
If a person has (1) a tendency to favor individual freedom over equality and (2) a tendency to favor individual freedom over security/law and order/social norms, that person is a libertarian.
Finally, if a person has (1) a tendency to favor equality over individual freedom and (2) a tendency to favor security/law and order/social norms over individual freedom, that person is a communitarian.
To put it another way, liberals are willing to use government to promote equality but not security/law and order/social norms. Conservatives are willing to use government to promote security/law and order/social norms but not equality. Libertarians are opposed to using government to promote either equality or security/law and order/social norms. Communitarians are willing to use government to promote both security/law and order/social norms and equality.
Based on this you can see that libertarians and communitarians are consistent in their attitudes toward the two dilemmas. Liberals and conservatives are inconsistent in their attitudes toward the two dilemmas.
Virtually all issues fall along these two dilemmas. Where do you fall? Over the years of teaching I found that many who thought they were conservatives were actually libertarians. I also have found that the term communitarian is new to most students. Communitarianism is often associated with utopian societies such as the Shakers and New Harmony although its roots can be traced to Plato’s Republic and the early Christian Church in the book of Acts in the Bible.
Take the simple quiz at https://www.idealog.org/en/quiz to find out where you are on the two-dimensional ideology test…click OK and take the self-test. Again, thanks to Janda and Berry for most of this information.
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