Liberalism - Under Assault
Throughout most of Western societies – and increasingly in their Eastern counterparts as well – there is a tendency to believe that liberal democracy has won the day. Frances Fukayama, referred to in an earlier post as the author of The End of History and the Last Man, concluded over a decade ago the with the ultimate triumph of liberalism, the human search for a political philosophy had reached its logical end. There’s nothing on the horizon to challenge Fukuyama’s reasoning, yet he perhaps overlooked the sheer determination of liberalism’s foes to unravel and challenge many of the great victories by the use of hyperpartisan language, an “us” versus “them” practice of political war, and a determined effort to divide local communities just at the time when grassroots democracy is surging.In other words, liberalism’s success is neither secure or a sure thing. Conservatives and ideological socialists understand this and so have undertaken their efforts to deconstruct so much of what has been gained. Canada has now become fertile ground for this great unraveling, not only at the political level, but everywhere on the Internet and local community associations. The trenches are slowly expanding from Ottawa to rural and urban communities. Battle plans have been drawn up in recent years that would seek to tear down the liberal spirit and strongholds clear across the country. Sensing that citizens are barely paying attention, the enemies of liberalism have taken to using innuendo, simplistic issues such as gun control, and fear coupled with anger to slowly ruin the public space.All this is ironic, considering how conservatism has borrowed from liberalism for its belief in economic freedom, and socialists have championed the liberal ideal of personal freedom. At its root, however, is the determined, and at times destructive, desire for political power. The pursuit for such authority has caused both the left and the right to stray from their own respective philosophies, but they appear not to have noticed.Liberalism’s foes are in outright war against liberal (small “l”) customs. We all instinctively understand this, but it might be helpful to at least briefly consider what traits are under threat.The belief and practice of equality has been a liberal hallmark since Canada’s founding. Many resent the use of the levers of power to take what is unequal and create something of equilibrium out of it. It’s a resentment that been growing for years now and manifests itself in anti-immigration, anti-constitution, anti-government, and even anti-women. The ideologically conservative temperament can never rest until these are repealed.Liberalism’s desire of realism has always irked its opponents. Because liberalism was born at the same time as the great discoveries of science, the two have been linked from that moment forward. This has led the liberal mind to trust evidence-based reality as opposed to ideological presumption. Resentment of that liberal trait is part of what is driving the current absolutist conservatism to roll back certain societal advances, of which the sheer refusal to take any remedial action on climate change is an example; it has become one of the great polarizing issues of our time. Dr. Dan Kahan of Yale believes a large part of the reason is what he calls “protective cognition” – we judge things partly on whether we see ourselves as rugged individualists mastering nature. Powerful special interests, like many in the energy industry, play on this sentiment and have found a ready audience in the present Tea Party movement in the U.S. and the ideological Conservative movement in Canada. People fear to lose their individual identities when decisions are made by society in general, despite overwhelming scientific evidence.Ironically, conservatives with a progressive bent share the same environmental concerns as liberals and those on the left, but they have not been able to find a political construct that can assist them in halting the right-wing conservative advance into oblivion.The liberal trait of tolerance is also under assault. Hard-nosed conservatives maintain that liberals are opposed to religion, for example. This only reveals their misunderstandings of the essence of liberalism itself. Its interest in promoting openness is a liberal hallmark, and its belief that individuals and groups should be able to worship freely is sacrosanct. When Thomas Jefferson held regular meetings not only with Christian but Muslim leaders at the turn of the 19th century, he was merely practicing what any good liberal leader would do.Finally, there is the liberal preference for governance to protect the best of humankind. Liberals believe in government because they believe in governance – the ability of individuals to come together, especially at the community level, to use their experience and intelligence to plan for their collective future. This has been one of the great strengths of democracy. Ardent conservatives would have us believe that a government without science-based lessons, resistant to international compacts, and devoid of collective regulatory powers is the best thing for us.Resisting the rollbacks of conservatism and keeping Canada on its progressive course will form the main agenda of liberalism in the coming decade. It’s where the majority of Canadians agree, but a way must be found to unite all those people of good, and tolerant, faith.