Liberals and The Philosophy of Shampoo

We're surrounded by philosophy everyday. Shampoo bottles even espouse philosophy. We are at a point in history where two competing philosophies are battling for control of this nation.

I don't think many people really have a problem understanding Conservative philosophy because it's so simple. The Conservative philosophy is one of personal responsibility and individual freedom. People are flawed and because of this we must have some form of government to protect individual rights.

The liberal philosophy (modern liberalism) is one that I don't quite understand. I'm beginning to think that my misunderstanding is rooted in the vagueness that is modern liberalism.

While trying to understand the liberal mindset I have noticed a few repeating trends. Again this is based on my own experience.

• Liberals tend to defend things they don't fully understand. To me it's like people who will actually get in a heated argument over a sports team. Unless you are employed by that sports team, or make your living as a bookie, it's doubtful that the team's success or record will have an effect on you in real life.
• Liberals don't know what they stand for. I have seen more liberals run from anything which could represent any sort of structured belief system, religious or not. It seems that liberals will categorize just about anything except themselves or their beliefs. I think it has to do with not wanting to be pinned down. If you stand for everything you stand for nothing.
• Liberals often talk about how open-minded they are. If someone were truly open-minded they would never consider it. True character traits are most often not noticed by those who possess them.
• Liberals often talk of self definition; a want to "find themselves". I don't understand this at all. I have never wanted to "find myself". How many experiences must someone be exposed to before they understand themselves? Why would you want to base your life on your limitations, in a few circumstances, at any given point in time. That's depressing.
• Liberals think that nothing is black and white, but that there are solutions to every problem. It amazes me how many people I've talked to who say, "...someone will come along and fix it, they always do". Believing that someone will always correct things is dangerous. To believe that "someone will always fix it" means that you are putting your faith blindly in some unnamed person or persons to solve an issue. To follow man blindly means that you must believe man is naturally good, or naturally looks out for the best interest of others.

All of these traits are not necessarily negative, however; I would want none of them in a leader.

It seems to me that liberals are incapable of making most philosophical decisions as an individual. Liberals shun personal responsibility because someone else knows what's best, and will eventually come around and fix things for them. Perhaps that's why they are comfortable with someone else making the decisions for them.

When it comes to philosophy I would rather have a leader who believes that philosophical choices are individual choices -- not to be mandated. - Jeff Michaels

There's something deeply wrong with wanting others to provide for you; to take the fall for you. There's also something deeply wrong with those who want to control people because of their reliance on others. There's something downright evil about teaching people to rely on others as a direct means of controlling them. - Jeff Michaels

One more thing to consider. The most notable modern historical Conservative philosophers are The Founding Fathers of the United States of America. The most notable modern historical leftist philosopher is Karl Heinrich Marx. Which of these philosophies have most contributed to improving the human condition?

Tell me what you think...

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