The article explores the emotional origins and guiding principles of political beliefs, contrasting liberalism and conservatism. Political liberalism is rooted in addressing suffering and injustices, asserting that current conditions are unacceptable. In contrast, political conservatism emphasizes the need to defend established ways of life against perceived threats. Historical perspectives from figures like Rousseau and a quote often attributed to Churchill highlight the intrinsic human impulses driving these ideologies, suggesting a complex interplay between compassion for the suffering and a desire for stability in society.
Political liberalism seeks to improve the lives of those who are suffering, not thriving, or excluded under the current social, economic, and political structure.
The fundamental premise of political conservatism: Our way of life is being threatened. We need to defend it.
Meditating on the first and most simple operations of the human soul, I believe that I perceive in it two principles that are prior to reason.
If you are not a liberal when you're young, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative when you're old, you have no brain.
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