As humans, we want similar things in life. We desire freedom, a chance to prosper in life and we also don’t want to see people suffering.
We want children who are healthy and would like to live in a crime-free society. The main question is; how do we achieve them? Most people differ in their opinions on various issues. They can be liberal in some circumstances and conservative in others.
If you pay attention to many issues going on presently, you will notice that conservative ideas line up with the concept of equality and the liberal ideas line up with the concept of equity Conservative people support equality.
They always want people to get equal treatment while a liberal person generally accentuates equity. They want the situation of a person to be put into consideration to determine the kind of treatment accorded.
Liberal vs Conservative
The main difference between Liberal and Conservative is their structures. A liberal system is federal, whereas the conservative one is a non-federal structure. Liberals acknowledge and appreciate long term welfare. On the other hand, conservatives neglect long term welfare and encourage self-governing living. Liberalism is a left-wing ideology. Conversely, conservativeness is right-wing.
Comparison Table Between Liberal and Conservative (in Tabular Form)
| Parameters of comparison | Liberal | Conservative |
|---|---|---|
| Stability | Liberals are not comfortable with the normal, they are always seeking diversity and will always question the way things are run. | Conservatives want to maintain the status quo. They tend to support the authorities they are more concerned about order. |
| Morality | Liberals are concerned whether things right or wrong and will always stand with the truth. | Conservatives will care less whether things are right or wrong as long as the decisions were made by the authorities they are fine with it. |
| Openness to experience | Liberals are open to diversity, new ideas and love a society that is open to change | Conservatives love familiarity and want a society that is traditional and safe. |
| Self-Control | Liberals are very ambitious and would like to do several things at the same time so their self-control level is always on the lower side. | Studies show that conservative people are always good at focusing their attention on a cognitive task. |
| Obedience to Authority | Liberals always want to operate outside the socially-imposed restrictions. | Conservatives tend to obey the civil, secular and respect senior members of the family from their childhood. |
| Social Welfare | Liberals support long term welfare to provide for the needs of the poor in society. | Conservatives are opposed to the long term welfare they prefer encouraging people to be more independent and stop relying on the government. |
What is Liberal?
A Liberal is a
person or a group of people who believe that the government must act to change
the political, economic and ideological policies and constructions that may
seem biased.
Liberals believe that parts of a government’s social and political systems are biased to the minority and underprivileged people.
These systems must be changed under all circumstances even if it means restricting some basic freedoms.
They want the government to take action and ensure equality and the same opportunities are achieved by all.
It is the responsibility of the government to protect the freedoms and human rights and ensure no one suffers from the lack of these.
Liberals insist that the role of the government is to solve problems for its citizens. Generally, Liberals believe that governments have the power to give and to take away rights from their citizens.
What is Conservative?
A conservative is a person or a group of people who seeks to safeguard the political, economic and ideological system of a society.
Conservatives believe that cooperation should be granted their freedoms to run their businesses and make profits without the government’s interference
Conservatives believe in personal accountability, restricted government, unrestricted markets, and individual liberty. It is the duty of the government to give people their freedoms in order to follow their dreams and achieve their set goals.
The policies of the conservatives believe in individual empowerment as an approach to solving problems.
Generally, conservatives believe that rights are God-given, that no one has any authority to take away their rights.
Main Differences Between Liberal and Conservative
- Conservatives have orderly thinking patterns whereas the liberals have sudden insight moments.
- Liberals accept change very easily whereas conservatives are quite resistant to change.
- Liberals describe themselves as optimistic and very compassionate to other people while conservatives are religious and honorable
- Liberals view inequality as a social problem that the government needs to address conservatives, on the other hand, are comfortable with it and do not put any effort to change the situation.
- Liberals are more secular, single, more educated and do not own firearms whereas Conservatives are more religious, value family life and own firearms,
- If put on a political scale, the liberals are always referred to as being on the left while the conservatives are referred to be on the right.
- Liberals believe that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that no one is in need whereas conservatives believe that the government should the necessary freedom to follow their own dreams.
Conclusion
Liberals and conservatives both believe and agree that people have rights. They only differ on who has the authority to give these rights.
While conservatives believe that they were born with these rights and no one has a right to take it from them, liberals on the other believe that the government has the right to give and take these rights from its people.
Each group knows they are right in what they believe in hence it
is prudent to understand who you are before changing others.
Liberals seek a deeper understanding of the needs of others. They believe that the authorities are repressive to the poor and other disadvantaged groups hence would want to speak for the weak and the oppressed.
Conservatives, on the other hand, do not consider the plight of the poor and only speak for the institutions. They are independent-minded.
References
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1994-17521-001
- https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/tlr63§ion=57
- https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1017/S0022381610001015