Liberals and Conservatives - a pitiful attempt at definition

[Screaming Lord Byron]

OK, here's what I think. Conservatives (as the name suggests) are people who wish to belong to a fixed set of beliefs that remain rigid over time, because to them the world is a confusing and scary place. They are essentially frightened by change and complex choices and defer to authority figures who deal with these matters for them. Fear of uncertainty and the unknown makes them resistant to change.

Liberals (leftists, democrats, whatever) accept that the world is a complex, contradictory place. To them this is a challenge to be met. Liberals are usually free-thinkers who are much less likely to follow leaders blindly than their Conservative counterparts. To a Liberal, change is an opportunity, not a threat. Furthermore, Liberals wish to apply reason to problematic matters, whereas Conservatives are more likely to ignore or avoid such issues where they can. When Conservatives can't do this, they try to eradicate the problem.

What do you think? Feel free to critique this, these are just some thoughts I had on the train this morning.

[trotsky]

1. Here's one even simpler.

Not mine, but I forget where I first saw it.

Liberals would rather see a few people cheat than have anybody starve.

Conservatives would rather see a few people starve than have anybody cheat.

But your definitions are pretty good. I would add that conservatives reason too, just starting from a different set of assumptions.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

7. Yeah, their reasoning is reasoning based on doctrine, I think

[AntiCoup2K4]

2. Here's a great dictionary of conservative beliefs

http://www.turnleft.com/condef.html

[Screaming Lord Byron]

4. Now that is perfect.

[Armstead]

3. Good definition

I think you've descrinbed it well.

I don't want to indulge in stereotypes, but in general conservatives do seem to tend to see things in terms of standard formulas, while liberals tend more to flexibility and acknowledgement of the constant need to change.

[grannylib]

5. Fear indeed a key component of conservativism; fear of change, of

anyone different than oneself; fear of other beliefs, etc.
The only reasons I have ever thought that anyone voted Repuke/conservative were greed, fear, stupidity, or some combination thereof.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

6. Yeah. I see fear vs reason as being at the core of our modern issues. n/t

[HawkerHurricane]

8. The best definition I've seen...

and I don't remember where or I'd cut and paste it.

The Liberal thinks that most people are kind, generous, and good at heart, because he thinks they are just like he is.
The Conservative thinks that most people are crooked, miserly, and evil, because he thinks they are just like he is.

[grannylib]

9. That's perfect...