Well, I have many in my family who consider themselves conservatives, and admire exactly those people and claim their conservatism on the basis of the works of those men. The conservative ideology they claim is that of conserving the best of this nation for all the citizens of this nation.
That's a bit different than my understandings of conservative ideology which focusses on the basic kernel idea that they do not believe that human beings can create a new political society.
Conservatism argues that:
Political society develops gradually over time out of custom and human experience. There is no social contract.
People’s ability to reason is severely limited, nor is the world understandable and malleable. Therefore, efforts to improve a society will likely have terrible unanticipated consequences.
Members of political society need to accept their roles in order for the whole society to be healthy and strong. Challenging authority is destabilizing.
Inequality is the natural order of things. Human beings are naturally unequal.
politically, people should defer to their betters to govern. Socially, people need to accept problems like poverty, which society cannot solve.
Government’s goal is to provide for human needs, especially the needs for order, stability and control. Government is not formed to protect rights. In fact, the lack of order destroys people more than tyranny.
Coservative Values:
Tradition - including religious values. Tradition is grounded in generations of reflection on ethical questions.
Authority hierarchical. Government should be strong in law & order, to control the unruly elements in society
Not opposed to all change, but it is should be gradual, a slow evolution.
Conservatives are not fascists, people on the extreme right of the political spectrum. Fascists believe human will can remake society. Fascists are radical reactionaries.
Opposed to free market capitalism because it broke down old social roles.
Acceptance of social welfare for the poor.
No fear of an active large government becoming tyrannous because the elite would be the governors.
But modern US conservatism is much different than traditional and true Conservatism as espoused by Burke, primarily because it is derived from Liberalism not true conservatism.
US Conservatism:
Support for capitalism
Suspicious of government power
Advocate market incentives to achieve socially desirable goals, rather than the government;
Prefer state and local government action over federal, which is potentially tyrannous.
See justice as equal opportunity, not equal outcome;
Less concerned with individual rights than moral values
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