By 'bedrock liberal principles', I mean things like: respect for individual liberties and property rights, respect for the rule of law and equal treatment under the law, and a widespread / consensus belief that authority and legitimacy of the state derive from the consent of the governed.

Note that "consent of the governed" is distinct from simple democracy / majoritarianism: a 90% majority that uses state power to take all the stuff of the other 10% might be democratic but isn't particularly liberal or legitimate according to the principle of consent of the governed.

I believe a healthy liberal society of humans will usually tend towards some form of democracy, egalitarianism, and (traditional) social justice, but these are all secondary to the more foundational kind of thing I'm getting at, which traces back to ideas from Enlightenment philosophers and U.S. Founding Fathers.

Nor does "respect for property rights and [...]

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First published:
June 28th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/vhkaf6Sttxe2rx4vn/support-for-bedrock-liberal-principles-seems-to-be-in-pretty

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“Support for bedrock liberal principles seems to be in pretty bad shape these days” by Max H 07:04 Share

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“Support for bedrock liberal principles seems to be in pretty bad shape these days” by Max H