When we think of liberal versus conservative what usually comes to mind is politics (republlicans or democrats, for example) or maybe, more generally, a kind of tolerant attitude one can take (e.g., one's level of tolerating alternative lifestyles or respecting individuality or equitability in general). My attitude might be considered liberal because I believe that gays should be allowed to marry and enjoy the same benefits of a heterosexual union. I'm pro-feminist as I encourage woman to assert themselves in the workplace and in their personal lives. I also encourage woman to become conscious of the fact that a woman is not born but made via cultural convention - I think that was Simone Bouviers argument her book "the second sex" (I don't know how to spell her name). In general, I love the maverick that questions conventiion and I love free thinkers who have the courage to do things in his or her way in the face of social convention and it's pressurres.
But when I think about the fundamental mentality of a liberal I imagine a person who tends to suspend judgement and do an information search before drawing a conclusion. And once a conclusion is drawn it is held as tentative and open to subsequent revision. We think of such people as open minded and again - "liberal." The opposite of that would be a person who swiftly draws a conclusion - often a kind of default conclusion that is often guided by readily available "knowledge constructs" such as a heuristic, platitudes, stereotype, or conventional thinking in general. Wheras the former is often associated with creativity and divergent thinking (raising more than one point of view to a question) and the latter is associated convergent thinking or arriving at "the" answer and usually with a confident air.
I very much look the part of a conservative. I've been told I look like a marine or a cop with my square jaw and serious disposition. In the gym, I'm very disciplined, monomaniacle and super focused. Yet, I know all of that is a veneer. I'm truly a person who better enjoys questions (over answers). The only people I judge are judgemental types who I feel lack imagination, empathy, and human values in general. The drawback for me can be nihilism and the loss of conviction. I'm prone to depression and at times I've entered deeply into chaos and disorder. The liberal position is not necesarily centered on psychological stabillity and a general sense of well being. Nevertheless, I think a liberal enjoys more freedom because they can imagine more possibilities and more choices. But with all of those choices, how do we choose? What if I'm wrong?
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Originally Posted by thegodfather
