Classical Liberalism

[Violet]

I'll try to write in purple at least once

Because there is a completely absurd amount of false equivocation on these boards I thought it apt to state the position clearly and let it be contended for what it is, rather than through the typical straw men that are in equal parts the responsibility of those who claim to be of this position when they are not "The tea party" and those who care not for the differences because they find it easier to attack the straw man.

But I love setting straw men on fire. It's my revenge on that damned scarecrow from the wizard of oz. Don't worry, he didn't have a brain ^_^

Classical Liberalism encompasses the basic ideals.

1. The freedom of the individual is paramount:

The main consideration for all actions, namely politically is this "Does the action promote or thwart the freedoms of the individual"? Classical liberalism states that the government should only act to ensure that the freedoms of consenting adults, making sure that they are free from force, fraud, coercion or negligence. We should not sacrifice the freedoms of individuals for any collective agenda, commonly called "the common good".

Why not though? I mean... surely you can think of exceptions to this (such as situations where sacrificing individual freedom is necessary for anyone to have freedom in the future).

Any person should be free to do whatever they like so long as their actions do not involve using force, fraud, coercion of neglecting their responsibilities to others. People with power will often say "we are going to force you to do x because we believe it is in your own best interest to do x". Classical liberals maintain that individuals not only are generally the best at establishing what is in their own best interests, they should have complete responsibilities over their own interests.

Then shall we release children and pets from their slavery?

I don't know about you... but my knowledge of children is that they only know what is best for them in some cases. Teenagers aren't so much children anymore, so I'll avoid talking about such if you please

And adults really don't know what is best for them often. Nor does a government. Hence laws against things that we can be relatively certain are not the best for them (ie: driving while drunk).

2. Establishment of principles.

This is the idea that the principles of individualism should be established and maintained despite what any collective, namely the government, wants to do otherwise. The courts should have the power to strike down any piece of legislation that violates the established principles or rule in favor of the individual who has done what the collective otherwise deem illegal if it is supported by the fundamental principles.

I'm against this archaic understanding of legality honestly... would rather people be tried on a case by case basis accordingly to how a jury and a few judges/judge see fit.

I agree that having some of these "fundamental principles" might be a good thing, but I worry that they wouldn't be quite so 'fundamental' principles at all

3. Bottom up organization

Structures in reality, from evolution to lives to languages to fashions to markets, are best organized spontaneously and from the bottom up based on the preferences of the individuals. There is no need for a top down approach to markets, no "hand of god/government" to tweak all the settings and rules.

Sure... no way to say 'monopolies' and 'corruption' quite like 'the people control the market with zero government interference'... hehe...

4. Free Markets / Civil Charity.

All economic exchanges should be left to the voluntary actions of individuals, government should not be telling you where to work, how much to save, what needs produced, what companies need your money, who needs healthcare, where to give aid. It should be left entirely to individuals to allocate their productivity where they see fit or where they have agreed to trade.

An entirely free market is a market with no laws, no rules, and a gut your neighbor before they gut you mentality.

Slave trade is open, of course. Somehow I prefer it when it is hidden behind a semblance of gain present in wage slavery.

If government is the organization that oversees the populace... precisely why should it not say what needs produced? I mean... say you are in a war... and it needs more guns/tanks/whatever... and this market is void of anyone producing it because it isn't making them enough money. Your country loses the war and is taken over by people with guns and tanks, who stop your creation of guns and tanks semi-permanently.

I largely agree with the sentiment about where to work, how much to save, what companies need your money... but healthcare needs to function as a socialistic system and increasing budgets/cutting them is a job of management, which is the government.

5. Private property.

Those things obtained by the individual through consensual means are entirely the property of the individual and nobody else. The individual has the full rights and responsibilities for where this property is used and nobody, other individuals or governments, may forcefully remove it.

And can this individual protect their claim?

And yes, anyone using force may remove it if they so deem to do so. Laws preventing them from doing this that are enforced by the government mean that the government owns the house and is letting you use it.

6. Tolerance

You should not interfere with anyone else simply because you disagree with it. Because you think something is a good thing, the right thing, is no reason to interfere with the actions of others. Simply thinking that something is wrong is not a sufficient reason for action, it is immoral to force your opinions on others. Free speech is an example, we should tolerate speech of which we strongly disagree because it is not our business to tell them how to think and feel.

Action of other will lead to their death (ie: standing where they are standing). Yes, let's not interfere with that... they clearly know best.

We do not have free speech, but we should certainly tolerate it no matter what it is People should have thicker skin anyway.

I failed to write in purple