Some Stuff on Liberalism

The term "liberalism" has been used and abused over the years, its meaning has been distorted in different eras and countries to the extent that to different people who use it in the most narrow sense it has come to signify diametrically opposite ideas. So, for example, leftists in parts of the former Soviet bloc will deride "liberals" as heartless, free-market capitalists who ruthlessly exploit workers, natural resources, the earth... you get the picture. In the US, however, "liberals" are considered by many in the mainstream to be just the opposite - leftists and hippies who favor big govermnent and all kinds of welfare. I remember some of my friends in the US being quite surprised when I told them that they are typical free-market (right) liberals. Why am I getting into this topic? Because here is a great article that came out in the New York Times that, I think, silences the "conceptual cacophony" as the author puts it. This piece takes a close look at how the perception of "liberalism" and "liberal" has evolved over time and in different parts of the world.

I particularly agree with the author's point that there are some enduring values that constitute the core of liberalism such as it is in the 21st century. Some of them, as he points out, are liberty under the law, limited and accountable government, free markets, tolerance, individualism and equality. If these values endure, as they will, liberalism will be around for quite a while, no matter what spin some people will try to put on it.