What is Liberalism?

Part 1 of a 2-parter on the philosophy of liberty (TPL #3)

In this third episode of TPL, Joia and Chris continue their reflections on the meaning of Philosophical Liberalism (from their statement to the same on 1776 Forward's website) by starting an analysis of the second term: liberalism. Watch the video for a historical overview with key insights, including some highlights:

The Subjective Nature of Freedom

• Freedom as a feeling of release from constraint — one person's freedom can be another's tyranny

• The challenge: how do we define something that can be as subjective as a feeling into an objective concept fundamental to political structures?

• The interplay between freedom as an emotional state and political reality and structure

The Four Pillars of Liberalism

• Individual Liberty & Individual Rights: the cornerstone of liberal thought

• Consent of the governed: power flows from the people

• Political equality: a radical idea that transcends cultures

• Free enterprise: economic freedom as essential liberty

Global Roots, American Synthesis

• Beyond Western Enlightenment: liberal ideas traced to ancient Greece, Rome, China, India, and the Islamic Golden Age

• The American Founding as a pivotal turning point - a global synthesis of freedom philosophies put into action and built into new institutions

• Our 1776 Forward organization: endeavoring a further synthesis with more action and building

The False Dichotomy of Freedoms

• Economic and personal freedoms: why you can’t really have political freedom without economic freedom

• Freedom's many faces: financial, time, location, psychological, spiritual

• Why political freedom must be the foundation for all other liberties

Liberalism's Evolution in America

• How American liberalism diverged from global traditions

• The left-shift: from individual liberties to social welfare

• Key figures who transformed the American definition of liberalism: Roosevelt, Wilson, FDR

Navigating Rapid Change

• Parallels between today's technological revolution and past industrial changes

• The forward-looking synthesis: not a reactionary move toward a Classical past but evolutionary progress rooted in the best insights from the past

** Weekly Call to Action: Critiques of Liberalism**

Share with us a critique of liberalism from either the left or right side of the political spectrum that you found compelling or difficult to answer, and let’s use these arguments as a way to strengthen liberal discourse and understanding.

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! And please help us build this movement by sharing TPL with others who would appreciate it! See you in 2 weeks for the next question (previewed in the video)!