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| − | [[Category:Political Philosophies]]{{seedling}} | + | <hide> |
| − | ==Viewpoint== | + | [[page type::article]] |
| − | Classic '''conservatism''' is a political philosophy whose central theme is the prevention of change in society. It often includes a certain reactionary element that wishes to revert society to an earlier (supposedly happer) time, or a set of societal norms that existed during that time, but this is not the main thrust of conservatism around the world.
| + | [[thing type::similarity cluster]] |
| | + | [[category:political philosophy]] |
| | + | [[category:ism]] |
| | + | </hide> |
| | + | ==About== |
| | + | [[Conservatism]] is a [[political identity]] whose adherents claim loyalty to a [[similarity cluster|loose collection]] of {{l/sub|belief}}s, but which ultimately amounts to [[authoritarianism]]. |
| | | | |
| − | Conservatism encompasses a wide variety of possible viewpoints, with different aspects being emphasized in different countries.
| + | It should be understood that [[conservatism]], despite the name, does not [[conserve]] anything except the power of an established hierarchy; see {{l/sub|nym}}ography. It is more or less a policy of lying (to the public and to each other) in support of the agendas of the powerful. |
| | | | |
| − | ==Conservatism in America==
| + | A well-known quote by a little-known commentator seems to best encapsulate the unspoken goal of conservatism: |
| − | ''see also: [[Wikipedia:Conservatism in North America]]''
| + | <blockquote>Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.</blockquote> |
| | + | <div align=right>— Frank Wilhoit<ref name=slate /></div> |
| | | | |
| − | The [[wikipedia:Heritage Foundation|Heritage Foundation]], an American conservative think-tank, states a belief "''in individual liberty, free enterprise, limited government, a strong national defense, and traditional American values. We want an America that is safe and secure; where choices (in education, health care and retirement) abound; where taxes are fair, flat, and comprehensible; where everybody has the opportunity to go as far as their talents will take them; where government concentrates on its core functions, recognizes its limits and shows favor to none. ... we believe the values and ideas that motivated our Founding Fathers are worth conserving.''" This would seem to be a reasonable definition of the best attributes of American conservatism.
| + | This is consistent with the observation that conservatists seem to operate from a position of "We tell you what to do; you don't tell us what to do". Conservatism operates not from a position of treating people equally and fairly, but the [[/asymmetry|exact opposite]]. |
| | + | ===Mindset=== |
| | + | Conservatism seems to arise from these basic values, which are rarely stated or acknowledged: |
| | + | : '''1.''' It's more important to feel secure than to have an accurate understanding of reality. "What you don't know can't hurt you." "If it ain't broke (for me), don't fix it." |
| | + | : '''2.''' It's basically impossible to evaluate policy on its own merit, so it's best to vote for the candidate you can relate to best. |
| | + | : '''3.''' Winning is more important than truth. (That's kind of a corollary of 2 and, to some degree, 1.) |
| | | | |
| − | A cornerstone of American Conservative philosophy is '''personal responsibility''' – the idea that each individual is solely responsible for his/her own well-being; government exists solely to ensure that the rules are enforced, which includes protection from hostile external forces.
| + | From these basics emerge patterns such as the willingness to support someone who's obviously lying or being hypocritical -- conservative voters don't care about details like accuracy; they just care that he's ''their'' liar/hypocrite, someone they find relatable. |
| | | | |
| − | American Conservatives seem to be generally against "big government": "The government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have." -- attributed to [[Gerald Ford]] [http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110007328]
| + | People who position themselves as conservatist leaders may not actually believe the positions they espouse. The point of advocating a position, in the conservatist social realm, is to unify and engage people to support the leader's quest for power and victory. |
| | | | |
| − | During the presidential administration of [[George W. Bush]], the use of the term "Neocons" has re-emerged to describe a certain offshoot of conservatism whose adherents are openly conservative but in practice somewhat at odds with some of conservatism's basic tenets; see [[Bush Neoconservative]].
| + | The existence of large quantities of people of this general mindset represents an ongoing threat to free society. Their desire for simplicity, security, and victory can be weaponized by the powerful to overwhelm more thoughtful voices in any democratic system. |
| | | | |
| − | ==Politics== | + | ==Pages== |
| − | Conservatives in the United States are generally aligned with the [[United States Republican Party|Republican Party]] and sometimes with the [[United States Libertarian Party|Libertarian Party]].
| + | * {{l/sub|pos}}itions taken by conservatism |
| − | | + | * {{l/sub|nym}}ography: the terminological landscape |
| − | ==Related Articles==
| + | * {{l/sub|US}}: conservatist identity in the United States |
| − | *[[United States Republican Party]] | + | * {{l/sub|asymmetry}}: the rules do not apply equally |
| − | ==Reference==
| + | ===Related=== |
| − | *[[wikipedia:Conservatism]]
| + | * The [[conservative ideal]] encompasses what is best about conservatism, and ways in which the idea of conservatism is misrepresented or misused. |
| − | | + | * Conservatives tend to be on the political [[right wing]]. |
| − | ==Conservative and Fundamentalist Groups==
| + | ==Quotes== |
| − | *'''Conservative'''
| + | {{quotation|[[Evelyn Waugh]] {{needcite}}|[ [[Rudyard Kipling]] ] was a conservative in the sense that he believed [[civilization]] to be something laboriously achieved which was only precariously defended. He wanted to see the defences fully manned and he hated the [[liberal]]s because he thought them gullible and feeble, believing in the easy [[perfectibility of man]] and ready to abandon the work of centuries for sentimental qualms.}} |
| − | ** [http://www.heritage.org/ The Heritage Foundation] (US)
| + | ==Links== |
| − | ** [http://www.johnlocke.org/ John Locke Foundation] (US - North Carolina) | + | ===Reference=== |
| − | *** Interestingly, the writings of [[wikipedia:John Locke|John Locke]] himself "had an enormous influence on the development of liberalism", according to [[wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contributions_to_liberal_theory#From_Locke_to_Mill|Wikipedia]], notably the idea of "religious toleration"
| + | * {{wikipedia}} |
| − | ** [http://patriotpost.us/ Patriot Post] (US): "The Conservative Journal of Record" | + | * {{conservapedia}} |
| − | ** [http://www.amconmag.com/ American Conservative]: skeptical Conservatism
| + | * <s>{{dkosopedia}}</s>[[category:!dkosopedia]] no equivalent article (as of 2008-03-27); see [[dkosopedia:Special:Search/Conservatism|search]] |
| − | *'''Conservative Christian'''
| + | * {{sourcewatch}} |
| − | ** [http://www.bju.edu/ Bob Jones University] (Greenville, SC)
| + | * {{rationalwiki}} redirects to {{l/rw|Conservative}}, which contains a good run-down of what "conservative" means in a number of different countries. |
| − | ** [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Voice Christian Voice] (UK)
| + | ===Orgs (non-US)=== |
| − | ** [http://www.cofcc.org/ Council of Conservative Citizens] ({{wikipedia|Council of Conservative Citizens}}) | + | * [[wikipedia:Christian Voice (UK)|Christian Voice]] (UK) |
| − | ** [http://www.liberty.edu/ Liberty University] (Lynchburg, VA) - e.g. [http://www.liberty.edu/studentaffairs/index.cfm?PID=7764 Dress Code for Women]
| + | {{links/smw}} |
| − | ** [[wikipedia:American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property|American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property]] | + | ==Footnote== |
| − | *'''Parody Sites''' | + | <references> |
| − | ** [http://www.landoverbaptist.org/ Landover Baptist Church] "Where the Worthwhile Worship"
| + | <ref name=slate>'''2022-06-03''' [https://slate.com/business/2022/06/wilhoits-law-conservatives-frank-wilhoit.html The Pithiest Critique of Modern Conservatism Keeps Getting Credited to the Wrong Man]</ref> |
| − | ** [http://www.bettybowers.com/ Betty Bowers] "America's Best Christian"
| + | </references> |
| − | | |
| − | ==Well-Known Conservative Proponents== | |
| − | * [[Wikipedia:William F. Buckley, Jr.|Buckley, William F. Jr.]] "the godfather of modern American conservatism"
| |
| − | * [[Wikipedia:Ann Coulter|Coulter, Ann]]
| |
| − | * [[David Horowitz|Horowitz, David]]: neocon writer, activist and commentator
| |
| − | * [[Wikipedia:Russell Kirk|Kirk, Russell]]: "the father of modern conservatism"
| |
| − | * [[Rush Limbaugh|Limbaugh, Rush]]
| |
| − | * [[Wikipedia:Michelle Malkin|Malkin, Michelle]]
| |
| − | * [[Wikipedia:Bill O'Reilly (commentator)|O'Reilly, Bill]]: "against harmful, radical social changes and those causing them, i.e., the ACLU, activist judges, and secular humanists."
| |
| − | * [[Jerry Pournelle|Pournelle, Jerry]] "slightly to the right of Genghis Khan"... but doesn't seem to be rabid, unlike many others
| |
| − | * [[Wikipedia:George Will|Will, George F.]]
| |
| − | | |
| − | ==Related Links== | |
| − | * [http://www.conservativethinking.com/ Conservative Thinking]
| |
| − | * [http://www.freerepublic.com/home.htm Free Republic]: "the premier online gathering place for independent, grass-roots conservatism on the web"
| |
| − | | |
| − | ==Blogs== | |
| − | * [http://www.antiprotester.blogspot.com/ The Autonomist]: by Rocco diPippo of Warren, RI | |
| − | * [http://www.cathyseipp.net/ Cathy's World]: Cathy Seipp is a columnist for National Review Online and the Independent Women's Forum | |
| − | * [http://www.rightrainbow.com/ Right Side of the Rainbow]: "News and commentary on law and politics by a right- of-center, gun-owning, gay Texan"
| |
| − | * [http://sayanythingblog.com/ Say Anything Blog]: not explicitly conservative, but seems to lean that way
| |
| − | * [http://stoptheaclu.com/ Stop the ACLU]
| |
| − | ** '''2006-07-03''' [http://blogs.salon.com/0003494/2006/07/03.html Jewish Family “Forced to Move” Over School Lawsuit]: "'Stop the ACLU Coalition' Publicised Home Address, Phone Number
| |
| − | | |
| − | ==News Sites==
| |
| − | * [http://www.newsmax.com/ NewsMax]: "America's News Page" (see also {{wikipedia|NewsMax.com}}) | |
| − | * [http://www.townhall.com/ townhall.com] is generally described as conservative, but according to {{wikipedia|Townhall.com}} their mission is specifically to aid in "the fight against those who would sacrifice the individual and freedom for political gain and big government." | |
| − | | |
| − | ==Publications== | |
| − | *[http://www.nationalreview.com/ National Review]
| |
| − | | |
| − | ==Commentary==
| |
| − | * '''2006-07-06''' [http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/07/thug-and-intimidation-tactics-of-far.html The thug and intimidation tactics of the Far Right go mainstream] by Glenn Greenwald | |
| − | * '''2005-12-05''' [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-perlstein/i-didnt-like-nixon-_b_11735.html 'I Didn't Like Nixon ''Until'' Watergate': The Conservative Movement Now] by Ric Perlstein
| |
| − | * '''2005-12-02''' [http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2005/12/political-battle-over-modernity-iv.html The Political Battle over Modernity IV]: Part 4 of a longer essay which includes an analysis of some of the major tools used by Neocons (note: should "Neoconservatism" be split off into a separate article?)
| |
| − | * '''2005-10-23''' David Brin [http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2005/10/propertarianism-iv-only-if-crackpot.html writes]: "Right now, the very word "conservative" is used to mask the fact that one group wants dynamic markets and measures our success according to the rate of small business startups, vigorous investment in new business opportunities, social mobility for those who exhibit honest ambition and hard work, and rapid rewards for innovation. Sooner or later, champions of markets will realize that these traits are being systematically quashed by others who use "conservative" to mask a different agenda. The old agenda that destroyed every other market system on record."
| |
| − | * '''2005-09-27''' J.E.R. Staddon writes: "...there are acres written on conservatism, but one of the best definitions I've seen is that it is a disbelief in utopia, i.e., a disbelief in the "progressive" idea that human beings, and human society, are infinitely perfectible. The problem with belief in utopia is that if you believe it is possible, then you are obliged to take active steps tio bring it about, which usually leads to the death and misery of large numbers of human beings (see Stalin, Mao, the Islamists, etc.)."
| |
| − | * '''2004-08-18''': [http://sciencepolitics.blogspot.com/2004/08/moral-politics-in-context-of-history.html] In the context of a book review, suggests a brief definition of key conservative values, and then states that they are contradicted by scientific findings, which explains why conservatives tend to be anti-science. (To be investigated: do the given values accurately reflect the conservative worldview? Does science contradict them?)
| |
| − | ==Notes== | |
| − | Many conservatives, especially those tending to the extreme (including DiPippo and Horowitz) seem to have it in for ''[[Wikipedia:The New York Times|The New York Times]]'', for reasons on which I'm not entirely clear. The NYT has recently been attacked for publishing photos and addresses of the vacation homes of [[Dick Cheney]] and [[Donald Rumsfeld]]; Rocco DiPippo retaliated by publishing similar information about the NYT's editor Arthur Sulzburger [http://antiprotester.blogspot.com/2006/07/where-does-pinch-sulzberger-live.html] and photographer Linda Spillers, who (with Rumsfeld's permission) took the photo of Rumsfeld's vacation home. The argument is apparently: (1) we are at war (the [[War on Terror]]); (2) providing such information in public is therefore providing aid and comfort to the enemy, (3) which is treason, (4) which is a crime punishable by death. See [http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/07/conservative-pundits-reveal-murderous.html Conservative pundits reveal murderous plot by the Travel Section of the NYT!] --[[User:Woozle|Woozle]] 08:32, 13 July 2006 (EDT)
| |
About
Conservatism is a political identity whose adherents claim loyalty to a loose collection of beliefs, but which ultimately amounts to authoritarianism.
It should be understood that conservatism, despite the name, does not conserve anything except the power of an established hierarchy; see nymography. It is more or less a policy of lying (to the public and to each other) in support of the agendas of the powerful.
A well-known quote by a little-known commentator seems to best encapsulate the unspoken goal of conservatism:
Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.
This is consistent with the observation that conservatists seem to operate from a position of "We tell you what to do; you don't tell us what to do". Conservatism operates not from a position of treating people equally and fairly, but the exact opposite.
Mindset
Conservatism seems to arise from these basic values, which are rarely stated or acknowledged:
- 1. It's more important to feel secure than to have an accurate understanding of reality. "What you don't know can't hurt you." "If it ain't broke (for me), don't fix it."
- 2. It's basically impossible to evaluate policy on its own merit, so it's best to vote for the candidate you can relate to best.
- 3. Winning is more important than truth. (That's kind of a corollary of 2 and, to some degree, 1.)
From these basics emerge patterns such as the willingness to support someone who's obviously lying or being hypocritical -- conservative voters don't care about details like accuracy; they just care that he's their liar/hypocrite, someone they find relatable.
People who position themselves as conservatist leaders may not actually believe the positions they espouse. The point of advocating a position, in the conservatist social realm, is to unify and engage people to support the leader's quest for power and victory.
The existence of large quantities of people of this general mindset represents an ongoing threat to free society. Their desire for simplicity, security, and victory can be weaponized by the powerful to overwhelm more thoughtful voices in any democratic system.
Pages
- positions taken by conservatism
- nymography: the terminological landscape
- US: conservatist identity in the United States
- asymmetry: the rules do not apply equally
Related
- The conservative ideal encompasses what is best about conservatism, and ways in which the idea of conservatism is misrepresented or misused.
- Conservatives tend to be on the political right wing.
Quotes
[ Rudyard Kipling ] was a conservative in the sense that he believed civilization to be something laboriously achieved which was only precariously defended. He wanted to see the defences fully manned and he hated the liberals because he thought them gullible and feeble, believing in the easy perfectibility of man and ready to abandon the work of centuries for sentimental qualms.
Links
Reference
Orgs (non-US)
