Difference between liberal conservative

What makes the difference between liberal and conservative views so vast? Could it be that a conservative view is from a perpesctive of being self-centered, selfish, how is this going to effect me me me? Could it be that a liberal view is from a perpesctive of how this is going to effect other people not just me me me? Conservatives have told me its survival of the fittest. Thats fine for animals, we are not animals, we are supposed to be civilized. The future will judge us on how we treat are fellow human. I do realize that liberals can go to far sometimes. But I think I would rather have a slight liberal slant then be selfish and greedy and want it all.

Asking a question where you say "Conservatives are teh suxorz" is hardly a question at all.

In reply, I see liberals and conservatives as having some basic qualities. Conservatives basically think that if things are going well now, we should not change them. They believe in traditional values and are generally more religious. They tend to favor big-business economy because it generally helps the economy. They believe in survival of the fittest because everyone has the right to become rich if they have the aptitude. As for the environment, they generally believe that it should come secondary to their opinion of 'progress'.

Liberals believe that change can make things better. They generally believe that what we have done in the past should not dictate how we act now. They favor smaller businesses more because it leaves more power with the individual and leads to a more equalized class. Their views on the environment tend to put it ahead of business because once it's gone, it's gone.

I purposely left out any criticism of the two views, because I think that would cloud the issue. But as we stand, it's not the people themselves, it's the parties. They are going to the extremes. You can be a liberal and not be a Democrat, and be a conservative and not be a Republican. Individual people are gnerally neither totally conservative or totally liberal. You can be a staunch Catholic and support gay marriage, and be a hardcore environmentalist and still believe the invasion of Iraq was justified.

The problem, in my opinion, begins when you pidgeonhole somebody into one of the two groups. Define somebody by a single word, and you set up a roadblock to actually understanding them.

Liberal is not the opposite of conservative.

Basically conservative means 'tending to oppose change' so if you're anticonservative you accept that things change and perhaps take your part changing them. I'm not sure there exists a word for that in english.
Since change is an integral part of the nature of things you can deduce that on the long term, conservatives always lose.

Example:
"The decline in mammoth population is only temporary, we can keep killing them just like we always have. Those who encourage us to move south to hunt deer shall be killed because we would all die if we would change our traditions."
-- Caveman Orgh, the world's first conservative.