but the not-on-the-right only seems to offer the status quo.
Liberalism by definition is the political stance that any problems can be addressed using existing systems and power structures. Our nation has been run predominantly liberal for a very long time, and that’s why it’s so hard to get anything done. People like the status quo, even if they can imagine something better, nobody wants to change things if they’re even moderately comfortable.
That’s not what the definition of liberalism is at all.
Liberalism is a political and social philosophy that believes in individual rights, equality, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise. Liberals do support revolutions when the system that is being overthrown is illiberal, such as a monarchy or dictatorship.
Liberals simply don’t support the Marxist idea of a “permanent revolution.” Revolution always gets a lot of people killed, so they should be few and far between. Furthermore, revolutions - especially idealogical revolutions - run a very high risk of being coopted by brutal opportunists who cynically exploit the idealistic revolutionaries to gain or retain permanent dictatorial power for themselves.
Right now, there’s no guarantee that a revolution would result in something better. History shows there’s a very good chance that revolution will kill a lot of people and lead to something much worse.
Furthermore, our current system has a successful track record for slow yet steady improvement. But it’s always two steps forward, one step back - at best. Sometimes there is backsliding more than one step. But history shows that the current system can be used to move forward again… So there’s no reason to throw it all away, risking a much worse replacement.
Liberalism by definition is the political stance that any problems can be addressed using existing systems and power structures. Our nation has been run predominantly liberal for a very long time, and that’s why it’s so hard to get anything done. People like the status quo, even if they can imagine something better, nobody wants to change things if they’re even moderately comfortable.
That’s not what the definition of liberalism is at all.
Liberalism is a political and social philosophy that believes in individual rights, equality, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise. Liberals do support revolutions when the system that is being overthrown is illiberal, such as a monarchy or dictatorship.
Liberals simply don’t support the Marxist idea of a “permanent revolution.” Revolution always gets a lot of people killed, so they should be few and far between. Furthermore, revolutions - especially idealogical revolutions - run a very high risk of being coopted by brutal opportunists who cynically exploit the idealistic revolutionaries to gain or retain permanent dictatorial power for themselves.
Right now, there’s no guarantee that a revolution would result in something better. History shows there’s a very good chance that revolution will kill a lot of people and lead to something much worse.
Furthermore, our current system has a successful track record for slow yet steady improvement. But it’s always two steps forward, one step back - at best. Sometimes there is backsliding more than one step. But history shows that the current system can be used to move forward again… So there’s no reason to throw it all away, risking a much worse replacement.
Good write up. Thanks for that. Very well said.
Thank you.