LIBERALISM AND CONSERVATISM

 

LIBERALISM

Liberalism is political doctrine that protecting and enhancing the freedom of the individual. The main point of liberalist is individual. They believe in their freedom. The government is necessary to protect individual but also a threat to liberty because government make many sanctions on individual to govern. Thomas Paine expressed in “Common Sense” Government as a necessary evil. Later the concept of welfare state came into existence which believe that state will not only protect individual but also secure its liberty. The chief task of government is to remove obstacles that prevent individuals from living freely. These obstacles include poverty, disease discrimination and ignorance.

 

CHARACTERISTICS OF LIBERALISM

Equality is the main characteristics of Liberalism. Liberalist believe in the equality among individual. There should not be any discrimination on the basis of any cast, colour, religion etc. Each individual should be equal opportunity according to their ability.

Classical liberalist wants to limiting the power of government. Because state always restrict the freedom of individual. They believe in minimal role of state and maximal zone of individual liberty. But later Positive Liberalism came into existence. They believe in welfare state. State’s role to protect individuals’ liberty. Now Neo liberalism came into arena. They believe to leave individual free in the field of economy. There should be no role of State or Welfare State in market. So, individual should be free in this field.

Liberalist believe that state’s main role is to protect of rights of individuals.

 

CONSERVATISM

Conservatism is a political doctrine that emphasized the value of traditional institutions and practices. They believe in that individual is not a single in any field. He needs society or state to survive. Individual does not do any work without the support of society. They have believed in traditional institutions which will protect individual from threat.  Edmund Burke is the originator of European conservatism.

 

CHARACTERISTICS OF CONSERVATISM

There are two types of conservatists. First one who believe that states role should be maximize to enhance individual security. Other one believes in the freedom of individual and want to minimize the role of states. But most of conservatists believe in state control over individual.

A common way of distinguishing conservatism from liberalism is that they reject the optimistic view that human beings can be morally improved through political and social change. They believe in human beings are guilty of original sin. Human history, under almost all imaginable political and social circumstances, has been filled with a great deal of evil.

They believe in that human nature essentially good and rational but he driven by their passions and desires and therefore they naturally prone to selfishness, anarchy, irrationality, and violence. Families, churches and schools must teach the value of self-discipline and those who fail to learn this lesson must have discipline imposed upon them by government and law.  Without the power of these institutions there can be no ethical behaviors and no responsible use of liberty.

Conservatives believe that society is very complex to understand. There is no connection between what government try to do and what actually happens. It is difficult to change human behaviors through political institution or believe in individual freedom. Only traditional institution like families, church and other moral institutions can change the behavior of human being and meet the end.

Liberalism vs Conservatism

 

CONCUSION

Both ideologies are best in their way. According to liberal human being is rational that he can decide his self interest and try its best to achieve what he wants. But conservatist believe that to achieve desire human being sometime less rational and make harm to others so this is important that there should be some institution who can manage all this. When any ideology go to extreme and forgot their limits it would be become toxic for society doesn’t matter whether it is liberalism or conservatism. We should according to Aristotle choose middle path. Individual should have freedom to enhance their potential and side by side he should remember all moral values and try to protect their culture not superstitions.