What does is mean to be a liberal?
Hello, World. This is my first venture into the blogosphere. Here goes nothing . . .
The word “liberal” has been greatly abused over the years, not only by the many critics of liberalism, but all too often by those who (mistakenly) consider themselves to be liberals. So what does it mean to be a “liberal?” Despite the claims of many online personality tests, I contend that it is not possible to determine whether you are a liberal simply by answering a series of pointed questions. This is because liberalism, when properly understood, is not simply a collection of positions on various issues. Nor is it a philosophy concerning the proper role of government in people’s lives (like libertarianism or statism). Liberalism, in its truest and most noble form, is an epistemology; it is a way of approaching problems through the use of empiricism and the application of universal principles of justice. A true liberal is defined not by what he believes on any given issue, but by how he arrives at his conclusions. And those conclusions, whatever they may be, are always provisional, for a true liberal is always open to the possibility that his conclusions are wrong and is always receptive to arguments which are grounded in empiricism and concern for justice.
For example, I strongly believe in progressive taxation (and as you may have guessed, I also consider myself liberal in the sense described above). I believe that a system in which the most fortunate among us shoulder a slightly greater load is fairer and more just than a system of equal or regressive taxation. I understand the supply-side argument that taxation levels effect productivity and the incentive to work, but from an empirical and practical standpoint, I find it very difficult to believe that altering the tax rate by a few percentage points one way or the other has any effect whatsoever on people’s incentive to work. That being said, if supply-siders were to demonstrate empirically that cutting taxes on the wealthy actually does benefit everyone, including the least well-off, I would gladly change my position.
As you will find if you read this blog regularly, my positions on a number of issues are not what many would commonly think of as “liberal.” To take just one example, I strong believe in free trade, and I believe that globalization is, on the whole, a positive phenomenon. My opinions on this subject have been formed, in large part, by first hand observation. I have traveled extensively across both the first and third worlds, and I have seen the good that comes from breaking down barriers to trade and cultural interaction. I think that a true American liberal should always evaluate policy on a global level first, and an American level second. We are, after all, first and foremost, members of the human race; nationality is a distant second. In my opinion, self-proclaimed “liberals” are all too often myopically focused on the impact policies have on Americans. This results is protectionist policy positions that, in my mind, are empirically unsupportable and largely inconsistent with the noble tradition of liberalism.
I'll have much more to say on a number of issues in the days, weeks, and months to come. Please stay tuned.
The word “liberal” has been greatly abused over the years, not only by the many critics of liberalism, but all too often by those who (mistakenly) consider themselves to be liberals. So what does it mean to be a “liberal?” Despite the claims of many online personality tests, I contend that it is not possible to determine whether you are a liberal simply by answering a series of pointed questions. This is because liberalism, when properly understood, is not simply a collection of positions on various issues. Nor is it a philosophy concerning the proper role of government in people’s lives (like libertarianism or statism). Liberalism, in its truest and most noble form, is an epistemology; it is a way of approaching problems through the use of empiricism and the application of universal principles of justice. A true liberal is defined not by what he believes on any given issue, but by how he arrives at his conclusions. And those conclusions, whatever they may be, are always provisional, for a true liberal is always open to the possibility that his conclusions are wrong and is always receptive to arguments which are grounded in empiricism and concern for justice.
For example, I strongly believe in progressive taxation (and as you may have guessed, I also consider myself liberal in the sense described above). I believe that a system in which the most fortunate among us shoulder a slightly greater load is fairer and more just than a system of equal or regressive taxation. I understand the supply-side argument that taxation levels effect productivity and the incentive to work, but from an empirical and practical standpoint, I find it very difficult to believe that altering the tax rate by a few percentage points one way or the other has any effect whatsoever on people’s incentive to work. That being said, if supply-siders were to demonstrate empirically that cutting taxes on the wealthy actually does benefit everyone, including the least well-off, I would gladly change my position.
As you will find if you read this blog regularly, my positions on a number of issues are not what many would commonly think of as “liberal.” To take just one example, I strong believe in free trade, and I believe that globalization is, on the whole, a positive phenomenon. My opinions on this subject have been formed, in large part, by first hand observation. I have traveled extensively across both the first and third worlds, and I have seen the good that comes from breaking down barriers to trade and cultural interaction. I think that a true American liberal should always evaluate policy on a global level first, and an American level second. We are, after all, first and foremost, members of the human race; nationality is a distant second. In my opinion, self-proclaimed “liberals” are all too often myopically focused on the impact policies have on Americans. This results is protectionist policy positions that, in my mind, are empirically unsupportable and largely inconsistent with the noble tradition of liberalism.
I'll have much more to say on a number of issues in the days, weeks, and months to come. Please stay tuned.
