Liberal Meaning

In your world, I have no meaning
Though I'm trying hard to understand
--John Waite

Nice video to complement a previous post on GMU econ prof Dan Klein's analysis of the evolution of the word 'liberal' from meaning 'presumption of liberty' to 'governmentalization.'



Klein attributes Scotish historian William Robertson with originating the use of liberal in the new liberty-oriented way in the late 1760s. Adam Smith subsequently adopted it in his seminal work Wealth of Nations.

Use of liberal in the libertarian sense grew throughout the 1800s. Klein suggests that a generational shift in an era where ideas of large government were gaining traction enabled the hijacking of the word near the end of the 19th century.

Because much of the world still uses the word liberal in its libertarian sense, Klein argues that people in the US should not use it when referring to people or ideas associated with big government. Instead, more appropriate terms for these people and ideology include:

left
progressive
social democrat

Calling those calling for more oppression liberals desensitizes many to the violence that leftist/progressive policies threaten. I, for one, intend to be more precise with my use of this term in the future.