Allow me to hijack your thread with an explanation! I wrote this last night...
Liberals, or those on the political left of the spectrum, generally have a focus on society. Their worldview is concerned with the health and wellbeing of people, on a collective scale. This is because they have spent a
large part of their lives helplessly watching injustice, or perhaps being victimized themselves. Thus, they form the opinion that the faults of human nature is to blame for the injustice, and the solution is to extend the
influence of society to counteract and compensate for the natural inclinations of human nature to take advantage of the weaknesses of others. They focus on altering the environment so that the most people
possible have an equal chance to pursue happiness. They want what benefits society. There is a catch to this.
What is good for society is dictated by what is good for the majority of individuals. This is a highly subjective exercise, because what is good for the individual varies from individual to individual. To decide what is good for the majority requires that generalizations be made about the needs and wants of individuals. Sometimes, tradeoffs will have to be made that may not necessarily be the most beneficial for a small number of individuals. Since this is a highly subjective exercise, the ruler by which decisions are made is equally subjective - emotion. Anger at an injustice, Fear of bodily harm or death to themselves or a loved one,
Grief/sadness at a traumatic crime or loss. Note these are all negative emotions. One does not watch victimization or experience it, and decide that society needs to be changed, as a result of positive emotions.
They approach life on an abstract, emotive level.