Liberalism: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Liberalism sidebar |expanded=all}}

'''Liberalism''' (from the Latin ''liberalis'', suitable for a free man) is the belief in the importance of individual freedom. This belief is widely accepted today throughout the world, and was recognized as an important value by many philosophers throughout history. The Roman Emperor [[Marcus Aurelius]] wrote praising "the idea of a polity administered with regard to equal rights and equal freedom of speech, and the idea of a kingly government which respects most of all the freedom of the governed".<ref>Marcus Aurelius, ''Meditations'', Oxford University Press, 2008, ISBN 9780199540594.</ref>

Modern liberalism has its roots in the [[Age of Enlightenment]] and rejects many [[Foundationalism|foundational]] assumptions that dominated most earlier theories of government, such as the [[Divine Right of Kings]], hereditary status, [[state religion|established religion]], and economic [[protectionism]].<ref name="howe">Free Trade and Liberal England, 1846-1946 By Anthony Howe</ref><ref name="freeden">Ideologies and Political Theory By Michael Freeden</ref><ref name="economichistory">The Cambridge Economic History of Europe by [[Peter Mathias]], [[John Harold Clapham]], [[Michael Moïssey Postan]], [[Sidney Pollard]], [[Edwin Ernest Rich]], [[Eileen Edna Power]], [[H. J. Habakkuk]]</ref> [[John Locke]] is often credited with the philosophical foundations of modern liberalism. He wrote "no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions."<ref name = "locke">{{cite book | last = Locke | first = John | title = [[Two Treatises of Government]] (10th edition) | publisher = [[Project Gutenberg]] | date = 1690 | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/trgov10h.htm | accessdate = January 21, 2009}}</ref>

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*[[Liberal elite]]

*[[Libertarianism]]

*[[Libertarian socialism]]

*[[List of liberal theorists]]

*[[Market liberalism]]