Democratic philosophies are the public's common views on who should govern, the values that rulers must uphold, and the strategies that they must implement (Jost, Federico & Napier, 2009, p. 309). As a result, the aim of this paper is to look at the main components of Liberalism, Conservatism, Communism, and Libertarianism and explain why it is so difficult for Americans to align with any of them.
Liberalism is a political philosophy based on two main tenets: individualism and liberty. Liberalism is concerned with the individual and believes that social order should be constructed around the individual (Jost et al., 2009). Moreover, society should give people as much liberty as possible so that they can reach their full potentials (Noel, 2014). Therefore, liberals support ideas such as free markets, freedoms of speech and democratic societies.
Conservatism refers to any political ideology that emphasizes the preservation of traditional social practices and institutions. Conservatives argue that the government is supposed to be the servant and not the master of the current ways of life. Additionally, due to the complex nature of social reality, individuals do not have the intellectual capacity to completely understand the social forces affecting the development of societies (Noel, 2014). Consequently, politicians should not try to transform politics and society. For these reasons, Conservatism is the exact opposite of liberalism because unlike liberalism which sought to liberate humanity from oppressive institutions; conservatism doubts the desirability to alter proven societal values and institutions.
A populist refers to a person who advocates for democratic principles whereas a libertarian is someone who believes in the political doctrines that emphasize on liberty on a particular issue or generally. According to Noel, (2014), Populists advocate for particular policies because they are popular while libertarians advocate for minimal government intervention in the lives of people.
It is hard for Americans to identify clearly with any particular political ideology because these political philosophies tend to be very similar. Also, most Americans believe in free markets, individual liberty, freedom of speech and democratic societies. These ideas are found in different ideologies. As a result, it is difficult for Americans to identify precisely with any particular ideology.
References
Jost, J. T., Federico, C. M., & Napier, J. L. (2009). Political ideology: Its structure, functions, and elective affinities. Annual review of psychology, 60, 307-337.
Noel, H. (2014). Political ideologies and political parties in America. Cambridge University Press.
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