Cultural liberalism is a social philosophy which expresses the social dimension of liberalism and advocates the freedom of individuals to choose whether to conform to cultural norms. In the words of

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural su ...

, it is often expressed as the right to "march to the beat of a different drummer". Also known as ''social liberalism'' in the United States, ''

cultural progressivism Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techno ...

'' is used in a substantially similar context, although it does not mean exactly the same as ''cultural liberalism''. In following the

harm principle The harm principle holds that the actions of individuals should only be limited to prevent harm to other individuals. John Stuart Mill articulated this principle in ''On Liberty'', where he argued that "The only purpose for which power can be rig ...

, cultural liberals believe that, for the most part, society should not impose any specific code of behavior and see themselves as defending the moral rights of nonconformists to express their own identity however they see fit as long as they do not harm anyone else. The culture wars in politics are generally disagreements between cultural progressives and

cultural conservatives Cultural conservatism is described as the protection of the cultural heritage of a nation state, or of a culture not defined by state boundaries. It is usually associated with criticism of multiculturalism, and opposition to immigration. Cultu ...

. The cultural progressives believe that the structure of one's family and the nature of marriage should be left up to individual decision and argue that as long as one does no harm to others, no lifestyle is inherently better than any other. Unlike cultural progressives, cultural liberals do not favour

political correctness ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

due to its attacks on certain civil rights and liberties such as freedom of speech and religion. In contrast to civil libertarianism, proponents of cultural liberalism will tend to show greater scepticism towards social reforms, such as gun law reforms, that can lead to increased risk of harm compared to that of the views of some civil libertarians. The United States refers cultural liberalism as ''social liberalism;'' however, it is not the same as the broader political ideology known as social liberalism. In the United States, ''social liberalism'' describes

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A ...

and social values or stances on socio-cultural issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage as opposed to ''

social conservatism Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institutio ...

''. A ''social conservative'' or a ''social liberal'' in this sense may hold either more conservative or liberal views on fiscal policy.

Notes

References

* Willard, Charles Arthur (1996). ''Liberalism and the Problem of Knowledge: A New Rhetoric for Modern Democracy''. University of Chicago Press. . {{culture Liberalism Political science terminology

See also

Notes

References