What does it mean to be liberal? This article shall shed some light on the new understanding and what movements of our time are deeply liberal by definition.
The word itself means to be a follower of a political idea called liberalism. Wikipedia defines it as follows:
Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on liberty, consent of the governed and equality before the law.
Thus being liberal can go along with
- being green
- caring about the environment
- a social safety net
- universal basic income
- healthcare for everyone.
All of those things can be deeply liberal. Often, to be liberal is connected to wrong assumptions in those areas.
In contrast being liberal goes against
- anything authoritative on a state level that is not directly or indirectly validated by democratic consensus.
- benefitting a few rich people instead of ensuring freedom and opportunities for everyone
