The epithet conservative or liberal is used to describe political and economic views and affiliations. The meaning of "conservative" or "liberal" could be different in different contexts - social, economic and political. They also differ in usage in different countries and over time. Here we compare liberal and conservative philosophies as the terms are used in American politics today, with some references to the UK and Australia.
Comparison chart
| Conservative vs Liberal | ||
|---|---|---|
| Political Views | Conservative Right-wing, anti-federalist. Prefer smaller government, less regulation, most services to be provided by the private sector in a free market, and a literal interpretation of the Constitution. Liberal Left-wing, federalist. Prefer more regulation and services like free universal health care to be provided by the government to all citizens. | |
| Economic Views | Conservative Government should tax less and spend less. Cutting spending to balance the budget should be the priority. Higher income earners should have an incentive to invest (credits). Charity is the responsibility of the people. Liberal Government should provide more services to the less fortunate (like health care) and increase taxes if necessary. High-income earners should pay a larger percentage of their income as taxes. | |
| Social Views | Conservative Opposed to gay marriage, abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Support the right to bear arms, death penalty, and personal responsibility as an individual. Liberal Gay couples to get equal rights like everyone else (e.g. marriage); abortion should be legal; support embryonic stem cell research. Support restrictions and regulation around the right to bear arms. | |
| Personal Responsibility | Conservative Individuals should exercise personal responsibility and it is the governments role to hold them accountable even with severe penalties. Laws are enacted to reflect the best interest of the society as a whole. Liberal The people should look to the government to provide a structure. Laws are enacted to protect every individual for an equal society sometimes at the expense of economic freedom if neccessary. |
Social Issues
In terms of views on social issues, conservatives oppose gay marriage, abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Liberals on the other hand, are more left-leaning and generally suppor- tive of the right of gay people to get married and women's right to choose to have an abortion, as ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v Wade.
With regard to the right to bear arms, which is enshrined in the Second Amendment to the US constitution, conservatives support this right for all US citizens,whereas liberals oppose civilian gun ownership — or at the very least, demand that restrictions be placed such as background checks on people who want to buy guns, requiring guns to be registered, and ban on automatic weapons that can be used for large-scale violence (as opposed to hand guns).
Economic Issues
The different schools of economic thought found among conservatives and liberals are closely related to America's anti- federalist and federalist history, with conservatives desiring little to no government intervention in economic affairs and liberals desiring greater regulation.
Economic conservatives believe that the private sector can provide most services more efficiently than the government can. They also believe that government regulation is bad for businesses, usually has unintended consequences, and should be minimal. With many conservatives believing in "trickle-down" economics, they favor a small government that collects fewer taxes and spends less.
In contrast, liberals believe many citizens rely on government services for healthcare, unemployment insurance, health and safety regulations, and so on. As such, liberals often favor a larger government that taxes more and spends more to provide services to its citizens.
Some good examples of this policy split are the Environmental Protection Agency, which liberals think is vital and some conservatives want to abolish or scale down, and the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which liberals want to expand and conservatives believe should be partially or completely privatized through a voucher system connected to private health insurers.
Historical "Liberals" in the UK and Australia
In the early part of the twentieth century, liberals - especially those in Britain - were those who stood for laissez fair capitalism. In more recent times, however, the nomen- clature seems to have reversed. Then exception to this is found in Australia, where the mainstream conservative party is called the Liberal Party and the main- stream non-conservative party is called the Labour Party.
Political views and Core Beliefs
Political liberals believe that parties motivated by self-interest are willing to behave in ways that are harmful to society unless government is prepared — and empowered — to constrain them. They believe regulation is necessitated when individuals, corporations, and industries demonstrate a willingness to pursue financial gain at an intolerable cost to society—and grow too powerful to be constrained by other social institutions. Liberals believe in systematic protections against hazardous workplaces, unsafe consumer products, and environmental pollution. They remain wary of the corruption — and historic abuses, particularly the oppression of political minorities — that have taken place in the absence of oversight for state and local authorities. They believe the public welfare is promoted by cultivating a widely-tolerant and -permissive society.
Political conservatives believe commercial regulation does more harm than good — unnecessarily usurping political freedoms, potentially stifling transformative innovations, and typically leading to further regulatory interference. They endorse the contraction of governmental involvement in non-commercial aspects of society as well, calling upon the private sector to assume their activities. Conservatives call for the devolution of powers to the states, and believe locally-tailored solutions are more appropriate to local circumstances. They promulgate individual responsibility, and believe a strong society is made up of citizens who can stand on their own. Conservatives believe in the importance of stability, and promote law and order to protect private property.
Liberals believe in universal access to health care; they believe personal health should be in no way dependent upon one's financial resources, and support government inter- vention to sever that link. Political conser- vatives prefer no government sponsorship of health care; they prefer all industries to be private, favor deregulation of commerce, and advocate a reduced role for govern- ment in all aspects of society. They believe government should be in no way involved in one's healthcare purchasing decisions.
Psychological traits
Jonathan Haidt, a University of Virginia psychology professor, has examined the values of liberals and conservatives through paired moral attributes: harm/care, fairnesss/reciprocity, ingroup/loyalty, authority/respect, purity/sanctity. He outlines the psychological differences in the following TED talk:
Haidt has also written a book,The Righteous Mind, based on his studies conducted over several years on liberal and conservative subjects. Nicholas Kristof, an avowed liberal, offered an unbiased review* of the book and cited some interesting findings such as: (* Read details scroll below)
- Morality for conservatives includes three attributes that are not as highly-valued by liberals: loyalty, respect for authority, and sanctity.
- Research suggests that conservatives are particularly attuned to threats, with a greater startle reflex in response to loud noises. Conservatives also secrete more skin moisture when they see disgusting images, such as a person eating worms--liberals respond less emphatically.
- Liberals prefer dogs who are empathetic, not subservient; conservatives seek dogs who are loyal and obedient.
Libertarians
Liberals should not be confused with libertarians. Libertarians believe that the role of the government should be extremely limited, especially in the economic sphere. They believe that governments are prone to corruption and inefficiencies and that the private sector in a free market can achieve better outcomes than government bureaucracies, because they make better decisions on resource allocation. Liberals, on the other hand, favor more government involvement because they believe there are several areas where the private sector -- especially if left unregulated -- needs checks and balances to ensure consumer protection.
The primary focus of libertarians is the maximization of liberty for all citizens, regardless of race, class, or socio- economic position. On fiscal issues such as taxes and government regulation, libertarian positions are similar to conservatives. On social issues like LGBTQ rights, libertarian views are similar to liberals. On foreign policy, liberals and conservatives in America have generally had attitudes; but libertarians prefer to not be interventionists or empire-builders.
*Unbiased review:
Politics, Odors and Soap
Conservatives may not like liberals, but
they seem to understand them. In
contrast, many liberals find conservative
voters not just wrong but also bewildering.
One academic study asked 2,000
Americans to fill out questionnaires about
moral questions. In some cases, they were
asked to fill them out as they thought a
“typical liberal” or a “typical conservative”
would respond.
Moderates and conservatives were adept
at guessing how liberals would answer
questions. Liberals, especially those who
described themselves as “very liberal,” were
least able to put themselves in the minds of
their adversaries and guess how
conservatives would answer.
Now a fascinating new book comes along
that, to a liberal like myself,helps demystify
the right — and illuminates the kind of
messaging that might connect with voters
of all stripes. “The Righteous Mind,” by
Jonathan Haidt, a University of Virginia
psychology professor, argues that, for
liberals, morality is largely a matter of three
values: caring for the weak, fairness and
liberty. Conservatives share those concerns
(although they think of fairness and liberty
differently) and add three others: loyalty,
respect for authority and sanctity.
Those latter values bind groups together
with a shared respect for symbols and
institutions such as the flag or the military.
They are a reminder that human moral
judgments are often about far more than
just helping others. Some of Haidt’s most
interesting material is his examination of
taboos.
His team asked research subjects pesky
questions. What would they think of a
brother and sister who experimented with
incest, while using birth control? Or of a
family that, after their pet dog was run
over, ate it for dinner?
Of course, political debates aren’t built on
the consumption of roadkill. But they do
often revolve around this broader moral
code. This year’s Republican primaries
have been a kaleidoscope of loyalty,
authority and sanctity issues — such as
whether church-affiliated institutions can
refuse to cover birth control in health
insurance policies — and that’s perhaps
why people like me have found the
primaries so crazy.
Another way of putting it is this: Americans
speak about values in six languages, from
care to sanctity. Conservatives speak all six,
but liberals are fluent in only three. And
some (me included) mostly use just one,
care for victims.
(Reviewer Nicholas Kristof)
“Moral psychology can help to explain why
the Democratic Party has had so much
difficulty connecting with voters,” writes
Haidt, a former liberal who says he
became a centrist while writing the book.
In recent years, there has been growing
research into the roots of political
ideologies, and they seem to go deep.
Adults who consider themselves liberals
were said decades earlier by their nursery-
school teachers to be curious, verbal
novelty seekers but not very neat or
obedient.
Some research suggests that conservatives
are particularly attuned to threats, with a
greater startle reflex when they hear loud
noises. Conservatives also secrete more
skin moisture when they see disgusting
images, such as a person eating worms.
Liberals feel disgust, too, but a bit less.
Anything that prods us to think of disgust
or cleanliness also seems to have at least
a temporary effect on our politics. It
pushes our sanctity buttons and makes
us more conservative.
A University of Toronto study found that if
people were asked to wash their hands with
soap and water before filling out a question
-naire, they become more moralistic about
issues like drug use and pornography.
Researchers found that interviewees on
Stanford’s campus offered harsher, more
moralistic views after “fart spray” had
been released in the area.
At Cornell University, students answered
questions in more conservative ways when
they were simply near a hand sanitizer
station.
Our ideologies shape much more than our
politics. We even seek pets who reflect our
moral outlook. Researchers at
YourMorals.org found that liberals prefer
dogs who are gentle but not subservient,
while conservatives seek dogs who are
loyal and obedient.
In short, moral and political judgments are
complex and contradictory, shaped by a
panoply of values, personalities — maybe
even smells.
Little of this is a conscious or intellectual
process. Indeed, Haidt cites research that a
higher I.Q. doesn’t lead people to think
through their moral positions in a more
balanced, open way (although they are
more eloquent in defending those positions).
There’s even extensive research finding
that professors of moral philosophy are
no more moral than other scholars.
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