liberal socialism

Liberal socialism is a political philosophy that incorporates liberal principles into socialism, advocating for a mixed economy within a liberal-democratic framework. The philosophy emphasizes the compatibility of individual liberty and social equality, favoring reformist methods to democratize market structures rather than abolishing capitalism. It supports both private property and social ownership, typically organized through economic democracy. Rejecting centralized state control, liberal socialism favors participatory democracy, decentralized planning, and the coexistence of worker-controlled and privately-owned enterprises.

This synthesis sees liberalism as the political theory that takes the inner freedom of the human spirit as a given and adopts liberty as the goal, means and rule of shared human life. Socialism is seen as the method to realize this recognition of liberty through political and economic autonomy and emancipation from the grip of pressing material necessity.