[Letter] An argument for liberalism being based in faith

Introduction: Liberalism, a prominent political ideology and a cornerstone of democratic governance, has traditionally been perceived as a reason-based approach, emphasizing values such as individual rights, freedom of speech, and democracy. However, I present an alternative perspective, that liberalism is fundamentally faith-based, grounded in the belief and hope that granting individuals the freedom to prosper was a leap of faith by rulling elites of the time. This perspective suggests that the reasonableness of liberalism was only recognized after this initial faith-based commitment to its principles, through observation and therefor a mainly a faith based ideology rather than a ideology based in reason.

Faith in the Potential of Individual Prosperity: Liberalism as a faith-based ideology begins with the recognition that rulers took a leap of faith when they initially granted individuals the freedom to strive and prosper. The granting of individual rights and liberties, such as the freedom of speech, was not solely based on a reasoned assessment of the outcomes it would yield. Rather, it was rooted in the belief that affording individuals the liberty to express themselves and pursue their interests would have positive consequences for society.

Recognition of Reasonability Over Time: The evolution of liberalism is marked by the gradual recognition of its reasonableness through experience and empirical observations. Rulers allowed for freedom of speech, acknowledging its potential to foster societal progress, even before the reason-based arguments in favor of this freedom became clear. Over time, the empirical benefits of free expression, such as knowledge dissemination, social progress, and the correction of injustices, solidified the reason-based case for liberalism.

Faith in the Values of Liberalism: The faith-based underpinnings of liberalism extend beyond freedom of speech to encompass the broader values and principles associated with liberalism. Concepts like individual rights, democracy, and the rule of law often began as leaps of faith by those who believed in their potential to lead to a better society. This faith in the values of liberalism precedes and sets the stage for reasoned justifications and empirical support.

The Faith-Reason Interplay: Liberalism, in this perspective, represents a dynamic interplay between faith and reason. The faith in the potential of liberal values to advance society was an essential precursor to the reasoned arguments and empirical observations that now underpin liberalism. While rulers initially took a leap of faith, reason gradually took precedence as the reasonableness of liberalism became more apparent through experience.

My point of this alternative approach to the understanding liberalism is to lay the ground work to understand the relation between realism and liberalism and thereby help to bring an understanding of why there is a rift between liberals and conservatives politically, liberals argue through normative values based in faith and are for this very reason not able to engage in reasonable debate because they are expirementing and testing these normative values, rather they are limited to either praise or demonize perspectives based on the current perspetives perceived allignement towards the normaive values. this is why liberals often leads to tactics like shaming, undermining and exclusion of others.

I am writing a whole theory about this topic, but it is far too long, any currently not yet completed so i refraime from posting additional context and conclusion at this very moment, however if this topic proves to accumulate interest i might relent, or hopefully post my full theory if it is finished at the given time, it goes without saying that my theory is not empirically tested and should therefor merely be considered as a hypotese rather than a conclusion

Best regards Bjarke Rugsted