Welcome to Essential-Liberalism.org, a nonpartisan web site set up as a public service to make available a document titled The Essential-Liberalism Manifesto. This unique document summarizes the essential political, legal, social, and economic principles and practices that characterize all liberal democratic societies in the world today. The Essential-Liberalism Manifesto seeks to reflect the consensus shared by the overwhelming majority of those members in such societies who are in the political center, on the moderate political left, and on the moderate political right as to what the best framework is for a 21st century democracy. Think of it this way: All those who embrace Essential Liberalism would likely feel quite free, safe, and happy to live in any society that is governed by these principles and practices, certainly as compared to societies that largely lack them.
The word liberal as used in the phrase liberal democracy has a broad and non-controversial meaning. When used alone, however, liberal and liberalism are highly politically charged, so much so that they now tend to represent not the foundation of the free democracy but one political ideology within it. In light of this, I saw a need to come up with a new term that would represent the ideological foundation common to all liberal democracies. The term I coined is Essential Liberalism.
I chose the adjective essential specifically because both its typical meanings are applicable: essential as embracing what is fundamental, and essential as being of vital importance. Gathering the fundamental principles and practices valued by most citizens of liberal democracies serves the vital purpose of highlighting what unites such members. It serves another vital purpose as well—making clearer the differences between liberal democracies and regimes (or ideologies) that are totalitarian or are otherwise repressive, some of which are now (and have been in the past) seeking to undermine liberal democratic societies and their citizens’ way of life.
The Essential-Liberalism Manifesto is not a manifesto in the narrow sense of the word, but rather a “manifesto plus” in that it includes not only ideological views and objectives, but also some fundamental legal practices and clarifying examples, all meant to best describe the contours of the term Essential Liberalism. This document does not generally advocate positions on specific policy matters, as citizens of liberal democracies hold a range of views on such subjects. The Essential-Liberalism Manifesto enables members of society to become more ideologically attached to the essentials, but also more free to favor specific implementations according to their own ideological outlook.
If you consider yourself either in the political center or on the moderate political left or right, I think you will find that reading the Manifesto clarifies your own views on what essential principles and practices ought to govern and guide your society and be a model for other societies as well.
Page last updated: March 18, 2011