eas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of people” (pars. 1-2). Liberals want to change things to increase personal freedom and tolerance, and are willing to empower government to the extent necessary to achieve those ends. This is against the idea of Beiner about what liberalism is. They want to help individuals to take more control over their own lives. This requires environment where choices are not arbitrarily removed. Also enough information should be offered so that choices can be understood and made intelligently. Alan Brinkley states that “this also requires giving people responsibility and encouraging self-reliance within a social framework” (par. 8). Liberals see the role of government as providing a framework within which individuals can develop their lives and contribute to society. Harold Meyerson states that “regulation of private industry is needed to ensure integrity and safety, with respect to customers and workers” (pars. 15-16). According to Beiner liberals don’t want any state power, but it’s not that way. Left-liberalists are “realistic or sensible liberals who take account of the failures and excesses of earlier liberalism” according to Walter Williams (pars. 1-2). Liberals want the equal opportunity should be a goal of government, they want health care and education to be universally available. Liberals do not want government to protect people from themselves, or interfere in individual interaction. Liberalism is an optimistic philosophy. Beiner is right to think that we should not limit ourselves in certain ways like only believing in liberalism or another ideology, but I don’t agree with his understanding of liberalism. For me the true liberals are the sensible ones, left-liberals and to generalize the liberalism in the way Beiner does is an inju...
