Alastaire Allday
Jul 10, 2017 · 1 min read

Struggling to see where I suggested that liberalism was about equality of outcome. Probably because I didn’t. Grow up and learn how to read.

As your own post proves, liberalism means different things to different people. There is classical liberalism, which is very much in the tradition of JS Mill et al. There is also liberalism in the American sense, which you also mention. I’d also add to that social liberalism, which is very much about tolerance and respect of the beliefs of others, which is something you might discover when you grow up.

Most modern “liberal democracies” contain a variety of strands of liberal thought. Most important to my essay was the element of respect for another individual’s beliefs — something that democracy when reduced to a “tyranny of the majority” no longer takes into account. I used the recent EU referendum as an example of this.

I’m not sure why you suggest the world isn’t to my liking. I like it very much. It does seem to contain a fair share of idiots — but we live in an imperfect universe.

    Alastaire Allday

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    Lightly toasted since 2003.