ipl-logo

Origin Of The Word Liberal Essay

316 Words2 Pages

The word liberal is thrown around left and right, whether talking politics, art, or describing someone who is, according to the oxford english dictionary “Willing to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one 's own.” When you hear the word “liberal” what is the initial thought that pops up in your head? According to a few friends the first word or phrase that pops into their head when asked what liberal meant, was “library”, “something to do with politics”, and “I have no idea”. Liberal is thrown around without having any proper context within its sentence that it has developed entirely new meanings. The origin of the word comes from the mid-14c word liberalis meaning,” noble, generous, or pertaining to or benefiting a free person.” Harper, Douglas. “Etymonline.com” 2001-2017. During the early to mid 17th century the word evolved during the enlightenment, a period of scientific and cultural revolution for western land. Liberal referred to"free from prejudice, tolerant, not bigoted or narrow," Harper, Douglas. “Etymonline.com” 2001-2017. Liberal was used to refer to …show more content…

Overtime the word liberal has strayed farther from its political definition and has developed a negative connotation. According to Barry Hampe, ex Republican, now libertarian “Liberal has a negative connotation to conservatives, because it 's the self-identifier of the opposition.” and according to Urban Dictionary it refers to “persons so open minded that their brains have fallen out” or someone who has “abandoned logic and reason, and rely on 'warm fuzzies ' as a sound basis for the making of decisions.” the term liberals meaning varies depending on the political party using it and

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of Return The United States

    461 Words  | 2 Pages

    While Conservatives are those who abhor change, and want to return the United States to a time that they feel is ideal. This time seems to be debated, with many believing that the 1950’s was the ideal time that society should be returning to. While others believe, it is the 1980’s during the Reagan Era that was the ideal time for the American people. Liberals on the other hand, do not want to return the country back to a “better time”. They want the country to progress and change in a positive manner that includes the protection of rights and freedoms of everyone living within the United States.

    Read More

  • Liberal Education In William Cronon's Only Connect

    252 Words  | 2 Pages

    In William Cronon’s essay “Only Connect” he poses the question to his audience on trying to deduce the concept of liberal education. Cronon makes it clear within his essay that a liberal education goes beyond earning a degree and fulfilling credit hours; to him there's something more deeper in a liberal education that helps shape an individual’s life. He discusses some historical background information on where liberal education came from by citing how the word “liberal” developed throughout time and he even mentions how the liberal arts curriculum developed. Throughout, the majority of the essay Cronon makes a valid argument on what the purpose of a liberal education does for individuals pursuing college. In his opinion, he believes a liberal

    Read More

  • Federalist 10 Research Paper

    705 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Robert Reich, “The liberal ideal is that everyone should have fair access and fair opportunity. This is not equality of result. It's equality of opportunity. There's a fundamental difference.” Liberals are also concerned about the concentration of wealth because it almost inevitably leads to a concentration of power that can destroy democracy.

    Read More

  • Herbert Hoover's Progressive Movement

    249 Words  | 1 Pages

    World War I was a war that Americans entered reluctantly, and a war which led to the replacement of progressivism by liberalism. Liberalism arose from a feeling of entrapment brought by the various regulations on industry and society, and embraced individualism to create a sense of liberation. Cars, especially the Model T, played a massive role in this by giving mobility to men and women, and creating a sense of freedom and independence (McGerr 228). The phonograph, psychotherapy, sports, amusement parks, dance, and music were other individualistic concepts, which provided pleasure. African Americans of the period began migrating to cities like Chicago, and enjoyed certain individualistic freedoms like music and boxing (McGerr 257), but were also banned from many theaters and places of leisure, and often created their own theaters.

    Read More

  • John Rawls Argument For Open Borders

    469 Words  | 2 Pages

    Liberal traditions are significantly rooted in the argument for open borders. The concept of open borders can not be correctly understood without studying its liberalistic ways. John Rawls is a theorist whose ideas against immigration revoke the liberalism that surrounds open borders. However, the three thinkers who support open borders as liberalism are Joseph Carens, John Mill, and Sheyla Benhabib.

    Read More

  • Liberalism In The Progressive Era

    479 Words  | 2 Pages

    When trying to define a word such as Liberalism it seems difficult to find a solid definition. There are different forms of liberalism and different meanings depending on the time period it is being applied to (idea taken from Phil Badger author from philosophynow). To solve this ambiguity, I’ve decided to define liberalism based on the time period in which I will be conducting my research. Liberalism in the 1700s was the belief of freedom and equals rights generally associated with the enlightenment thinkers, John Locke and Montesquieu (as defined by wikipedia.org). Liberalism didn’t start in the 1700s.

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Cosmic Race By Jose Vasconcelos

    1384 Words  | 6 Pages

    While they called themselves Liberals, in actuality they were very far from European liberalism. This is thanks to the Caudillo, or strongman, of Latin American politics. These

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Ocho Apellidos Vascos

    825 Words  | 4 Pages

    People who are liberal look out for all members of community, and step back from the capitalist approach of every man for himself. This doesn’t apply to all people who identify as either, but it is a general stereotype. This relates to Ocho Apellidos Vascos in the sense that two completely different people, who have political differences come together and fall in love. Maybe liberals and conservatives don’t fall in love per say- but they can work together.

    Read More

  • William Cronon Only Connect Analysis

    1033 Words  | 5 Pages

    First let me define what I think a liberally educated person is. In theory, a liberally educated person is someone who has received a well-rounded education, but I consider it to be more defined than that. I believe a liberally educated person is simply someone who is constantly using their skills to improve themselves and their communities. In order to do this, you need to have some sort of education. When you want to become a better writer, you study great writers, when you want to become a better artist, you study great artist, and so if you want to become a better person, a liberally educated person, you study great heroes, superheroes.

    Read More

  • Conservative And Liberal View Of Abortion

    1027 Words  | 5 Pages

    It can be hard to find your political view. Sometimes it takes time and research on political issues in our country and around the world. There are two popular political views; conservative and liberal. The definition for a conservative; is holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion. Liberal definition is; open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values.

    Read More

  • How Did Liberalism Change In Europe During The 18th Century

    941 Words  | 4 Pages

    Liberalism affected much of Europe during the Eighteenth Century. It started with the French wanting to get property rights and the lower class people wanting the right to vote, and it eventually conformed with nationalism and wanting to combine countries based on the language people spoke. Britain even had their share of Liberalism, and it especially heated up during the time of Gladstone and Disraeli. Liberalism did not always win, but it changed the political and economic atmosphere all throughout Europe.

    Read More

  • John Rawls The Law Of Peoples Summary

    1463 Words  | 6 Pages

    The liberal people have a just constitutional democracy government that serves their basic interests. This means the government is under the effective control of their political and

    Read More

  • Essay On Political Ideologies

    1364 Words  | 6 Pages

    As stated by Student News Daily (2005): “Liberals believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. [Liberals] believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve problems”.

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of Liberal Democracy

    996 Words  | 4 Pages

    Liberal Democracy is a democratic system of government in which individual rights and freedoms are officially recognized and protected, and the exercise of political power is limited by the rule of law. The word democracy is greek, the word “demos” means people and “kratos” means power. The idea of liberalism first began in the 1600’s with John Locke as he believed that the people should be allowed to remove the government currently ruling when they have misused their power for ulterior motives. Although the seed was planted in the 1600’s, liberal democracy only properly took form in the 1840’s in Canada. Australia and New Zealand followed not long after as they began to use the secret ballot system to elect political leaders.

    Read More

  • Disadvantages Of Liberal Democracy

    792 Words  | 4 Pages

    TheFreeDictionary.com. (2017). liberal. [online] Available at: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/liberal [Accessed 31 Mar. 2017].

    Read More

More about Origin Of The Word Liberal Essay

Open Document