This posting attempts to answer some of them. This posting will be useful, however, if it successfully conveys the flavor of liberal thought and gives some indication of what many liberals believe. A. Definitions, Principles and History 1. The word has a number of meanings, all of which reflect aspects of liberal thought. Help individuals take more control over their own lives.
Modern liberalism has multiple roots.
An important one is the provision of human rights, from the Magna Carta through the US Constitution to the International Declaration of Human Rights. The recognition that the social and economic patterns of large populations are qualitatively different from those of small groups draws upon insights of Marx, Weber, and Keynes. Libertarians felt that any attempt to solve social problems had to depend on private, voluntary effort, and that modifying social factors would inevitably lead to worse problems. Liberals felt that the problems were too serious to be passively left to chance in this way, and that government should have a role in influencing the social framework within which people act. Communists understand society as interactions of groups, to the extent that they largely ignore the value and effect of individual action.