Liberalism
Political tradition that places individual freedom at the center, defending rights, tolerance, the rule of law, a market economy, and limits on power, with government subject to the consent of citizens.
Home / Ideologies / Liberalism
In one sentence
I want a tolerant society founded on individual rights, with government limited by the rule of law and a free market economy.
Political axes
Profile across the 12 axes
- Leaning · Federal
Structure
- Strong · Democracy
Representation
- Strong · Liberty
Power
- Leaning · Multiculturalism
Immigration
- Leaning · Pacifist
Diplomacy
- Balanced
Intervention
- Leaning · Private
Economy
- Strong · Free market
Control
- Strong · Globalism
Trade
- Leaning · Irreligious
Religion
- Leaning · Progressive
Morality
- Leaning · Technology
Technology
What sets this ideology apart
Trade
Leans further toward globalism than 87% of the 243 ideologies in the catalog.
Ideology median 63This ideology 21
Of all the axes, Trade is where it stands furthest from the rest.
Intervention
On Intervention, it sits practically at the catalog median.
Ideology median 53This ideology 56
Here it shares common ground with most ideologies.
Personalities
John Stuart Mill
A British liberal philosopher, Mill championed individual liberty, tolerance, utilitarianism, and the harm principle, making him a foundational figure of modern liberalism.
Closest, by dimension
PoliticallyPaul RomerEconomist98%
SociallyPhil ZimmermannCryptographer98%
EconomicallyAlwaleed bin TalalSaudi investor and prince99%
Other compatible profiles
PhilosophyBaruch SpinozaPhilosopher97%
EconomicsPaulo GuedesEconomist97%
PoliticsEduardo LeiteGovernor97%
Intellectual lifeRay KurzweilInventor and futurist96%
BusinessVitalik ButerinProgrammer96%
EconomicsMilton FriedmanEconomist95%
EconomicsFriedrich HayekEconomist95%
Intellectual lifeNathaniel BrandenObjectivist psychologist94%
The most distant
Countries
Reference country
France
Social-republican republicA European semi-presidential republic, France combines a strong republican and secular tradition, a robust welfare state, a mixed economy, and a prominent diplomatic, cultural, and military role in the European Union and the world.
Other close countries
São Paulo (Brazil)
Industrial-financial regionBrazil's most populous and wealthiest state, São Paulo is the country's industrial and financial engine, marked by strong economic liberalism, a cosmopolitan culture, and decisive weight in national politics.
Also close, by dimension
PoliticallyNew Hampshire (United States)Libertarian-fiscal region95%
SociallyLuxembourgFinancial-integrated monarchy96%
EconomicallyEstoniaDigital-Atlantic republic100%
The most distant
Dutch Republic (United Provinces)
1581–1795A pioneering modern merchant republic, the United Provinces were a confederation governed by a commercial oligarchy, marked by religious tolerance, free trade, and immense naval and financial power at their height.
Also close, by dimension
PoliticallyMedieval Iceland (Commonwealth)c. 930–126276%
SociallyFree Territory (Makhnovshchina)1918–192173%
EconomicallyBritish Empire1837–190199%
The most distant
Ideological proximity
Close ideologies
Closest within Center
- Center
Green Liberalism
Current that unites individual freedom, markets, and democracy with the ecological agenda, defending sustainability, rights, and innovation to reconcile economic prosperity with effective environmental protection.
- Center
Federalism
Doctrine that organizes the state through a constitutional division of power between a central government and autonomous regional units, such as cantons or states, with their own competencies, independent courts, and mutual checks against excessive concentration of power.
- Center
Meritocracy
Principle according to which positions and rewards should be distributed by talent, effort, and performance rather than origin or privilege, defending equal opportunity and selection by ability.
Closest in other spectrums
- Right
Neoliberalism
Current that advocates free markets, deregulation, privatization, and fiscal discipline, reducing the state's economic role and trusting competition and monetary stability as engines of prosperity.
- Libertarian
Classical Liberalism
Original branch of liberalism that defends natural rights, property, free markets, and a minimal state, seeing individual freedom and the strict limitation of power as the foundations of a just society.
- Right
Capitalism
Economic system based on private property, free markets, and the pursuit of profit, in which production and prices are regulated by competition and supply and demand, with individual initiative as its engine.
The most distant ideology
Clerical FascismThird Position21%