What are the core precepts of liberalism and conservatism?How are they alike? How are they different?

- Core precepts of liberalism and conservatism

The key differences and precepts of liberalism and conservatism have to do with the size and overall involvement of government . Though there are many shared qualities between liberalism and conservatism that are worth noting , they also have some fundamental differences in basic policy and how things should be accomplished . On the whole , conservatism preaches less government involvement in the general affairs of the people and letting people to their own devices . Liberalism , on the other hand utilizes much more government involvement , especially in matters of the

br economy . There are also some fundamental nuances that have been developed with certain issues over the last few years , but these are not primary precepts of the two ideas

Michael Oakeshott talks a lot about the basic tenants of conservatism in his work , On Being Conservative . In this work , Oakeshott writes of the basic premise of conservatism when he writes , They centre upon a propensity to use

and to enjoy what is available rather than to wish for or to look for something

else to delight in what is present rather than what was or what may be (Oakeshott . In this , the principle of reality comes to light Conservatives differ some from liberals in that they take note and take delight in what is available . Though there is a basic optimism for the future , they do not let themselves fall into a trap of idealism . That is a very important distinction to make

While conservatism might focus on the reality and the here and now liberalism takes a slightly more idealistic view of things . In fact many liberals would agree with this and it is not really criticism . They like to look at things and see what might be and how they might be improved . Their focus is on the future and reform , for the most part This is how it has always been , too . For as long as there has been a split between conservatives and liberals , this has been something that has kept them apart

The size and involvement of government is something that the two groups also differ on . Liberalism , for the most part , puts its focus on lots of government involvement and also on helping people . In this way , it can be said that the government feels that they know what is best for the people of the country . Because of this , liberalism preaches lots of government programs and lots of government spending . Conservatives are often critical of this way of thinking because they feel as if liberalism teaches waste . Conservatism is all about taking the resources that are available and making them go as far as possible . Simply put they do not like a lot of government spending and they steer clear of too many government programs . A bi-product of this is taxation . Since conservatism does not need a lot of funding for government programs this usually means lower taxes . In general , they like to let people spend their own money how they...