Liberalism and Conservatism
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Liberalism and Conservatism
Generally, liberalism and conservatism have occupied an imperative position within the significant variations of political ideologies for more than two centuries. Despite being evident within the generic political setting, these ideologies may be perceived as occupant of different positions amid the great wings of the respective spectrum. In other words, while liberalism and conservatism may exist in the same political framework, they do not necessarily share similar characteristics. In fact, they are extremely different in respect to important aspects such as individual freedoms/liberties and rights, their positions on democracy, human nature, and equality (Kerlinger, 2014). In spite of their extremities based on the way their differing perspectives, they balance between freedoms, rights, and duties as well as the forceful authority possessed by the State in regards to restricting or mandating certain attitudes or mannerisms evidenced by people. While this balanced perspective may assert a sort of similarity between the ideologies in question, liberalism and conservatism undeniably represent different political perspectives regarding democracy.
Liberalism and conservatism possess different points of view in regards to the general aspect of democracy. For definitive purposes, democracy generally refers to a government framework in which every person or citizen exhibits involvement in making choices and decisions concerning its affairs. In this respect, a democratic system generally places power in the hands of its citizens as exemplified by the right to vote, which allows the said individuals to choose their own representatives to a specific assembly or a parliament. Liberalist and conservative views differ considerably regarding democracy. On one hand, liberalists, as declared by John Locke, assert democracy as an agreement between the citizens and the government. In this agreement, the civilians grant the government with specific limited powers on grounds that the respective entity rules based on the achievement of the common good as well as the safeguarding of personal rights (Williams, 2011).
On the other hand, the liberalist views regarding democracy are not shared by sides that advocate for conservative ideologies. This is especially lauded by the statement, “The best argument against democracy is to have a 5-minute conversation with the average voter” asserted by former Prime Minister of Britain and strong conservative, Winston Churchill (Heppell, 2014, p. 23). The respective quote openly illustrates the perspectives of conservatism concerning the aspect of democracy. In contrast to liberalism, conservatism perceives democracy as more of an ideal and a psychological condition rather than an actual right (Dahl, 2013). Bestowing the power of voting to the masses may not necessarily lead to the attainment of the right decision. In other words, simply achieving the common good by the majority does not mean that this is the best possible alternative (Dahl, 2013). As such, any democracy that considers voting as a specific right rather than a privilege is incapable of making good decisions. As such, conservatism acknowledges that the right to vote should be extended to those privileged enough to use it rationally, particularly the aristocracy.
To an extent, liberalism and conservatism exist significantly on different ends of the political spectrum. This is especially evidenced by the perspectives surrounding the system of democracy. On one hand, views based on the liberalist ideology perceive democracy in terms of the power to determine agents responsible for controlling state or national affairs. This is accomplished by voting, which liberalists perceive as a right that the government should acknowledge. By voting, the majority vie for a decision that represents the common good. However, conservatism acknowledges this ‘loophole’ by seeing democracy as more of a privilege that should be accorded to those worthy of using it rationally. After all, the majority decision does not necessarily imply the correct decision. Nonetheless, in their own differences, the ideologies in question offer a plethora of guidelines that allow some resemblance of clear conclusions concerning compelling political, social, and economic issues.
References
Dahl, G. (2013). Radical conservatism and the future of politics. London: SAGE Publications.
Heppell, T. (2014). The Tories: From Winston Churchill to David Cameron. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Kerlinger, F. N. (2014). Liberalism and conservatism: The nature and structure of social attitudes. Hillsdale, NJ: L. Erlbaum.
Williams, J. (2011). Liberalism and the limits of power. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.