We are the (true) liberals (or) Animal Farm 2010

Language is a bear.

Several weeks ago Glenn Beck (yeah yeah I know) at CPAC gave overall a decent presentation in which among other things he attempted to clarify terminology. Like liberal leftist communist Marxist progressive. Argued that the threat to America is progressivism. Which is different only in that it attempts to achieve socialism gradually rather than through violent revolution.

Eh. Maybe.

Have listened a few provocative podcasts by Clark Carlton who is assistant professor of philosophy at Tennessee Tech University from his “Faith and Philosophy” series.

He has about three podcasts that address economics and the terms that we use. Among other things he argues that:

• liberal – in the true classical sense – means belief in “maximum freedom”. Its opposite is not conservatism but:
• statism – belief in the power of the state

What this means is that many people we call “conservative” are not conservative but rather they are (true) liberals. And many that we call “liberal” are really statists.

Carlton further argues that:

• progressive is a relative term that means belief in progress or change and
• conservative is a relative term that means support for the status quo

Since these are relative terms – it depends on what the current status quo is right? – then Beck is mistaken. Granted it so happens that given the status quo those we call “progressive” are in many ways progressive and those we call “conservative” are indeed conservative. But then again perhaps not. Not if we misunderstand the nature of the current status quo.

There are two more relevant terms Carlton defines.

• the left means a belief in egalitarianism which does not mean equality of status value or opportunity but equality of result in other words everyone is the same
• the right means a belief in order difference and even hierarchy

Now it so happens that people on the left are nearly always statist. Because human beings are not the same. The only way to make them (if artificially) the same is through the power of the state. I asked Prof Carlton for examples of right statist – using the power of the state to enforce order difference and hierarchy – but have not yet received an answer. I am sure there is one. His point is that modern history shows far more left statism than right statism which may be a thing of the past. Perhaps feudalism is a good example of right statism.

Why is this important?

First that we – by which I mean me and many who read this website and many but not all “conservatives” – are in fact the true liberals. Because we are not statists. We believe in freedom. It is time for us to reclaim the term which was misappropriated by people who believe in the state more than in freedom.

Second that those who call themselves “liberal” are in fact leftist or statist or both.

Third which opens the possibility that there just might be such a thing as leftist liberals. People who want everyone to be equal. But do not want to achieve that through the power of the state. Anarchists and the Odonian society on Anarras in The Dispossessed by Ursula LeGuin come to mind.

The one thing that occurs to me is the lesson of Animal Farm by George Orwell. How all animals are equal but some are more equal than others. That those who hold the reins of political power in America want to “spread the wealth around” so that we are all equal. But already we see how they intend to be more equal than the rest of us.