Conservatives vs liberalists essays

Conservatives vs liberalists essays There are two mainstream ideologies that have dominated American politics since the existence of our government. These two political ideologies are conservatism and liberalism. Political ideologies refer to a consistent patter of ideas or beliefs about our political values and how we view the role of the government. Conservatives want to enhance the liberties of individuals by keeping the national government small, except in the area of national defense. Liberals wish to bring about justice and equality of opportunity through positive uses of government. They want to preserve the rights of the individual and the right to own private property, but they are willing to allow the government to intervene in the economy to fix the inequalities caused by capitalism. In Government by the People, there is a people debate between Pete DuPont and Mitchell Cohen. DuPont defends the position of conservatism while Cohen takes the position of liberalism. Each provides strong arguments for which vie w is more beneficial to us as a society, but DuPont makes it clear that conservatism leads to a stronger society consisting of hard-working and dependable individuals. Liberals, in general, have a tendency to favor change, faith in human reason, willingness to use government to improve the human condition, and are optimistic about human nature. Cohen says that there are three basic entwined ideas for liberals: liberty, equality, and solidarity. He believes that we should all have an equal opportunity to pursue our goals in society, but this is not the case because there is not a level playing field. According to Cohen, people are born into a world in which some people have a considerable advantage with resources while many others are at a disadvantage. This makes it much more difficult for the people born without equal resources to succeed. Liberals believe that humans are rational self-interested individuals who seek to improve their li...