Liberalism

A broad collection of ideologies which share the importance of protecting individual liberty and the consent of the governed at their core. Liberalism originated from the philosophies of enlightenment thinkers such as Locke and Voltaire, and is based heavily on the social contract theory. Liberalism today manifests itself in many different forms, ranging from Libertarian ideas which state that the government must interfere little in private affairs, to Social/Progressive/Modern Liberalism which holds that the government must step in to protect "positive freedoms" such as the right to an education in order for all people to have the platform needed to achieve liberty. Liberalism is neither left wing nor right wing because of this wide variety.