What does liberalism mean to you?

[Arta]

Serious answers only please. I'm going to read some answers before I post my thoughts!

[CrAz3D]

Focus on the individual & his liberty/ freedom/self reliance.

Leftism/modern liberalism is what's bad.

[Adron]

Absence of misplaced belief in ancient texts.

[CrAz3D]

Absence of misplaced belief in ancient texts.

....funny man

[Adron]

Well, it is opposite of fundamentalism.

[CrAz3D]

Fndamentalism is just extremeists.  You can have extreme anything, except middle probably, that just be odd

[hismajesty]

My whole policital views are based mostly off of economic standpoints. I'm basically a Capitalist Republican and as such my views generally fall accordingly.

With that in mind, my idea of modern liberal/conservative has to do with economic dealings, such as welfare (although that is social as well) and generally how money is spent. Liberals, as I see it, are more open to frivolous (in my eyes) spending (or, at least, things I don't think need as much money...like Welfare.)

[Grok]

I view myself as an American Constitutionalist, which is to say a fundamentalist libertarian.

Which has nothing to do with liberals so I don't know why I responded ;p

[MyndFyre]

"Liberalism" by itself is, to me, the American left (synonymous with people who call themselves "progressive") -- a mindset and political opinion that is anti-American, defeatist, pacifist, socialist, and attempting to undermine everything that I am simply because I am a white male Christian.

"Classical liberalism" is most what I identify with, which was first truly advocated by John Locke in the Two Treatises of Civil Government.  Locke's standpoint on toleration that Christians should expect from one another, and in general, I find the politics that he (and the derivative economics of Adam Smith) purported to be the most accurate and in line with my own views.

"Welfare liberalism" is a term used to describe J. S. Mill's philosophy and politics.  I generally agree more with his economics policy than with Smith (Mill allowed for intrusions into the market when necessary and utilitarian, although still largely embraced laissez-faire practices).  While Mill isn't directly a welfare liberal himself, his philosophy (to quote Wikipedia) that the role of government is to "remove the barriers" to behaviors that do not harm others paved the way to expansionism, something that other liberals before him were ardently against.