In response to a question about Classical Liberalism vs Liberalism:
Better to understand it as liberalism vs leftism. I do have a Reality Check about this that describes the shift. Coming soon. Basically liberalism is the belief that human liberty (freedom from force) is a fundamental social/ethical principle that guides all proper government. Leftism is a form of collectivism that uses state power to achieve preferred social ends. The left stole the concept of liberalism during the progressive era when a large swath of intellectuals rejected enlightenment individualism, urbanization, industrialization, for a pastoral, communal ethics. Roughly the left /right dynamic hasn’t changed since the concepts were established: left are radical democratists the right are traditionalists.
Mark Pellegrino
