Liberalism Enables Honest Reversals

Liberalism is not mere centrism but an institutional and moral stance that permits people with deep convictions to revise views when confronted with complex trade‑offs (for example, climate mitigation versus development). This temperament — tolerating committed belief while embedding epistemic humility — shapes who can lead durable coalitions on issues that force painful compromises. — If true, democratic persuasion and climate policy should privilege institutions and rhetoric that allow principled reversibility rather than enforcing dogmatic purity, altering coalition strategies and messaging.