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Line 20: − + − Conservatives believe in the individual over the collective but temper their belief in individuality by requiring people to act according to a code of conduct based on traditional morality. Liberals believe in the collective over the individual and, where they allow individuality, they disdain traditional morality or personal responsibility. Thus, uniquely conservative values tend to be centered around:+ − # faith in individual rights over collective rights,+ − # an acceptance of cause and effect, and a willingness to let people bear the good and bad consequences of their actions,+ − # an unwillingness to excuse misbehavior as something beyond the control of the individual, i.e. society made me do it,+ − # the idea that respect and dignity are earned, not a right, and must be maintained through appropriate behavior,+ − # a belief that truth is absolute, not relative,+ − # an acceptance of human nature as it is and not as something that can be changed by government tinkering,+ − # support for rule of law over nebulous concepts of supposed "fairness",+ − # a belief in established institutions and hierarchies,+ − # suspicion of the power of the state, and+ − # the belief that freedom is more important than equality.+ + + +
conserv belief
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'''Conservatism'''
'''What does a conservative believe?'''
Conservatism is a mansion with many rooms, and individual conservatives tend to congregate in some of them rather than others. But as a general matter, conservatives respect the Constitution for the limitations it imposes on the power of the state and believe the Declaration of Independence is the “sheet anchor” of our liberties. They believe in equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcome. And conservatives believe in the virtues, including the moral virtues, of democratic capitalism.
Conservatives hold to the view that a society should protect life, including innocent, unborn life, and that it has obligations to defend the most vulnerable members of the human community. They also believe in the dispersal rather than the concentration of power and that taxes should fund the necessary work of government rather than redistribute wealth. The state should not be in the business of leveling out differences by punishing excellence.
Conservatives believe that our laws should be colorblind; they believe in the importance of assimilation and the principle of subsidiarity. The role civic institutions play in our social life is a core conservative principle. So is the belief that our social order rests on a moral foundation and that religion is the source of morality for many people.
Conservatives believe, too, that no person is a citizen alone and that families therefore need support from our culture. The role of education is understood to be both intellectual and moral, with the goal of both mastering the basics and nurturing the character of the young.
Conservatives also believe that America, while an imperfect nation, has been a tremendous force for good in the world. While conservatives acknowledge limits on American power and influence, they believe (unlike many libertarians) we should oppose tyranny in other lands. And conservatives believe in the primacy of a strong national defense.
There is also something like a conservative disposition, which is characterized by an appreciation for the complexity of human society, the limitations of politics and the dangers of mistaking politics for metaphysics. The danger facing statesmen, the great conservative Edmund Burke warned, is when they view self-government “as if it were an abstract question concerning metaphysical liberty and necessity and not a matter of moral prudence and natural feeling.”
American conservatism tends to be more hopeful and less dour than, say, British conservatism. It looks to the future rather than remaining fixated on the past. And it is eager to embrace change and reform as social circumstances shift. But true conservatism is wary of revolutionary rhetoric, utopian promises and efforts to remake the world.
:—Peter Wehner