I want to put my fist through the television when I hear one of the network hosts refer to the radical anarchists in the Republican party as “conservative” or even “right wing conservative”. The are not even in the ballpark of being conservative. They are radical populists. Referring to them as conservative is lazy reporting.
The textbook definition of a political conservative is “favoring free enterprise, private ownership, and socially traditional ideas.” This definition is terribly vague and demands to be fleshed out so that policies and proposed changes can be evaluated from a foundation of solid conservative values. So, what I’d like to do in this post is provide my definition of “being conservative”. It is loosely based on the definition of a conservative found at kirkcenter.org. I believe my interpretation is properly Americanized..
An American Conservative believes in the Democratic Republic that is defined by the Constitution of the United States of America. In developing the Constitution, the founders took what they learned from their own mistakes and what they learned from the mistakes of other nations. This document, supplemented by the legal decisions and legal framework derived from it over the last 200 years, is what defines the “supermajority agreement” and it establishes the moral order of society for the United States of America. It was very important to George Washington and other founders that this framework for America enable an energetic government – one that can make things happen and avoid stagnation due to political interests constipating the process of governance.
Conservatives believe that for a society to continue to function as a workable society there must be supermajority agreement as to what constitutes moral order. Laws will be passed that enforce this moral order and without a general agreement, continued lawlessness will prevail. With this agreement we can enjoy an enduring moral order. Other than the lawless person or gang, challenges to this principle come from religious leaders who try to inject the rules of their favored religion onto society to force their religious behavior onto society. Religions have the right to supplement society’s moral order, but only within their group and only as long as those rights do not violate the laws of society.
Conservatives believe that continuing with a traditional custom, convention or practice is a “best practices” principle. Stability is essential for a workable society. However, society can learn, grow, and improve. Each new generation in a society learns from the previous generation, including learning from its mistakes. So, some traditions will need to change to keep society strong and energetic. But changes should always be preceded with a thorough argument discussing the pros, cons and risks associated with any change to tradition. Changes are most successful when a supermajority of the community agrees to the change.
Conservatives are comfortably resistant to change. The need for this resistance is to discourage bad decisions that lead to bad consequences. There is a natural assumption by conservatives that those who preceded us learned from the mistakes of their preceding generations (and the historical experience of other societies) to establish improved traditions that will better serve society. Many societies have suffered severe damage caused by a small percentage of society (I’ll label radicals) whose passions were inflamed by individuals or groups seeking to gain or retain power and wealth. They manipulate the populace with misinformation, carefully disguised lies, and other propaganda to change society to their benefit. Active resistance to these radicals is important to maintain the health of society. Societal changes resulting in a new or changed tradition must always be carefully evaluated for its long-term consequences.
Conservatives understand and appreciate the value of socially healthy diversity. A diversity of opinions, values, strengths, skills, personal drive, race, and intelligence provides the foundation for a rich and energetic society. Attempts to force a commonality is naturally abhorrent to a conservative. A conservative only seeks to encourage honest, just, and socially health diversity. Inequality created by tyrants or oligarchs is rejected by all true conservatives.
Conservatives do not look for perfection, but instead look for the best of what’s practical. Most agree that no human is capable of perfection, but most will agree that there is usually a way to improve on something. We can come close to perfection – if we have unlimited time and resources. But society rarely has the patience to invest the time and rarely has the willingness to invest the resources. But by proper attention to prudent reform, we may preserve and improve upon the moral order.
Conservatives believe that personal freedom and the right to own property are closely linked. Within a society, as the number of people that participate in property ownership grows, the greater the productivity and stability of the society. People who own property are more invested in ensuring a stable society and will put forth more effort to insure that stability. A conservative acknowledges that the possession of property fixes certain duties upon the possessor; he accepts those moral and legal obligations cheerfully. For a conservative, the concept of community property and economic levelling does not contribute to the economy or health of society. However, a society that wishes to grow and maintain a stable vitality will make sure that everyone can participate in private property ownership and is encouraged to do so. Carefully applied brakes on economic differences need to be used to maintain a healthy and vibrant free society. When the brakes fail then social bonds are broken, often with violent and destructive consequences.
Conservatives believe that local voluntary community services will nearly always provide better quality services and should be given priority over government led services. Most of us have a sense of community and a willingness (if not drive) to help others in need. The giver has a sense of purpose, and the receiver has a need satisfied that they are unable to satisfy on their own. The moral values of “do unto others as you would have others do unto you” and “being your brother’s keeper” are major components of a morally healthy and vibrant community. These services should not be automatically delegated to a naturally less committed third party (corporate or government). However, there are many communities that do not have the resources needed, and just because the services cannot be sourced locally does not mean that those in need must go without. Conservatives will find a way to provide help. Any services that need to be farmed out should be, if possible, monitored by local authority in order to maintain that sense of local community responsibility.
Conservatives know there must be prudent restraints upon power and upon human passions. Politically speaking, power is the ability to do as one likes, regardless of what others want. In a society where an individual or minority group is able to force their will on society without check is despotism. Despotism, where power continues to be monopolized by a minority group, eventually leads to anarchy, and anarchy is followed by tyranny or oligarchy which normally has a short shelf life and is then followed by another despot. Without a supermajority agreement as to what constitutes moral order, this destructive cycle will perpetuate itself. The conservative seeks to limit and balance political power so that anarchy and tyranny will not have an opportunity to establish an anchor in the community. Unfortunately, there is always someone that wants to overthrow the limitations of power that are in place. It is a characteristic of the radical that he thinks of power as a force for good – so long as the power falls into his hands. Constitutional restrictions, political checks and balances, adequate enforcement of the laws, the traditional intricate web of restraints upon will and appetite – these the conservative approves as instruments of freedom and order.
Conservatives understand the value of recognizing that the tensions between permanence and change must be reconciled in a vigorous society. A conservative is not opposed to social improvement, but only maintains that the changes needed to achieve the social improvement be evaluated in the context of conservative principles. Without progress society stagnates, people grow restless. Maintaining a moral order is challenging and requires keeping a careful balance. Improving one aspect of society can also mean that there will be a degradation in another due to the limitations of the resources of society. Balance must never be ignored in a rushed attempt for improvement. Just because it is new does not mean that it is better than the old. The end goal is a moral, stable, energetic, and healthy society.