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Re:Mozilla CEO: Gay-marriage firestorm could hurt Firefox by ctdonath on Tuesday April 01, 2014 @11:18PM (#7513332)
Should we go all-out liberal and say representatives of our cause must be...

That "must be..." bit is the antithesis of "liberal". Seems the banner of "liberal" was waved only to get unpopular views tolerated until the "liberals" garnered enough influence to silence their opposition. To go "all-out liberal" would say "representatives of our cause must respect those who think abortion is murder, pot is self-destructive, guns are vital for self-defense, and one's healthcare is not subject to public compulsion; we don't agree, but respect that sensible people can and do hold differing views because of differing axioms. Since the subject at hand is web browsing software, and those subjects have absolutely nothing to do with this, we will not ostracize people because of those common differences of irrelevant opinion."

Re:Mozilla CEO: Gay-marriage firestorm could hurt Firefox by scintill76 on Tuesday April 01, 2014 @11:44PM (#7513439)
I have heard this named as a difference between liberals and progressives. Progressives want to reform away everything they think is wrong, in the name of societal progress. Liberals, while not being conservative (opposed to change), care more for liberty and equality, respecting even views they don't like.

That's kind of the way I see it. I don't know if there are solid definitions for these terms, so I'm open to corrections if I'm way off here.

Re:Mozilla CEO: Gay-marriage firestorm could hurt Firefox by anaphor on Wednesday April 02, 2014 @12:33AM (#7513584)
I would prefer just calling it the 'Free and Open Society' (ala Karl Popper's book The Open Society and Its Enemies[1]). IMO any political philosophy that says things "must go this way" or that somehow their ideas are handed down from a higher power is harmful (i.e. authoritarianism). It's not about trying to promote inequality either, and using the free market or something as an excuse, it's about promoting criticism and transparency. And I truly believe political philosophies like Marxism are against critical thinking and anti-science. Most people who espouse some kind of Marxist beliefs have never bothered reading any Popper which is quite telling to me.

inb4 "but that sounds like libertarianism which everyone knows only rich bigoted fedora wearing assholes like!"

[1] https://archive.org/details/opensocietyandit033120mbp

Re:Mozilla CEO: Gay-marriage firestorm could hurt Firefox by throwaway5752 on Tuesday April 01, 2014 @11:29PM (#7513367)
No, that is pluralism. Liberalism actually means something. They are not mutually exclusive.

edit: This story was correctly flagged off the homepage. There are other places far more appropriate on the internet to learn about political philosophy than HN if you're sincerely interested, and they are not hard to find.

Re:Mozilla CEO: Gay-marriage firestorm could hurt Firefox by scintill76 on Tuesday April 01, 2014 @11:52PM (#7513461)
What does liberalism mean then? Honest question.
Re:Mozilla CEO: Gay-marriage firestorm could hurt Firefox by ubernostrum on Wednesday April 02, 2014 @05:57AM (#7514469)
Robert Browning said it well ("Why I Am a Liberal"):

But little do or can the best of us:

That little is achieved through Liberty.

Who, then, dares hold, emancipated thus,

His fellow shall continue bound? Not I,

Who live, love, labour freely, nor discuss

A brother's right to freedom. That is "Why."