liberalism and conservatism Flashcards
Classical Liberalism
Form of liberalism that views government as having the limited purposes of protecting life, liberty, and property
Conservatism
Perspective/ideology that emphasizes the values of order, stability, respect for authority, and tradition, based on a view that humans are inherently imperfect, with a limited capacity to reason. Emphasizes values of stability in community
Enlightenment
Intellectual movement that developed in the mid 18th century, emphasizing the power of human reason to understand and improve the world
Laissez-faire economic system
System in which privately owned businesses, workers, and consumers freely interact in the marketplace without government interference
Left
General ideological position associated with advocacy of greater social and economic equality, laws based on universal human rights rather than traditional morality, and opposition to state support for religious institutions. Pursuit of greater social and economic equality.
Liberal democracy
Political system that combines the liberal ideas of limited government, individual freedom, and the rule of law with a democratic system of governing based on the election of representatives.
Neo-liberalism
Perspective based on a strong belief in the free marketplace and opposition to government intervention in the economy.
New Right
Perspective that combines, in various ways, the promotion of free-market capitalism and limited government and traditional cultural and moral values.
Political ideology
Package of interrelated ideas and beliefs about government, society, the economy, and human nature that inspire and affect political action. How the world works, how it should be like and proposing a means to get there.
Populism
Perspective that advocates putting power in the hands of the people rather than the elites that control politics and society.
Reactionary
Conservative who favours a return to the values and institutions of the past
Reform liberalism
Version of liberalism that combines support for individual freedom with a belief that government action may be needed to help remove obstacles to individual development
Right
General ideological position associated with opposition to imposing greater social and economic equality and with maintaining traditional (usually religious-based) moral values and institutions. Inequality is a natural feature of human society.
Social Conservatism
Version of conservatism that advocates public policies based on traditional moral and religious values including opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage, and pre-marital sex.
Welfare state
State in which government ensures that all people have a decent standard of living and are provided protection from hardships resulting from circumstances such as unemployment, sickness, disability, and old age.
