Difference between revisions of "Conservatism"

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[[page type::article]]
 
[[page type::article]]
 
[[thing type::similarity cluster]]
 
[[thing type::similarity cluster]]
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[[category:political philosophies]]
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[[category:political philosophy]]
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[[category:isms]]
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[[category:ism]]
 
</hide>
 
</hide>
 
==About==
 
==About==
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[[Political conservatism]] (typically shortened to just "conservatism"/"conservative") is a [[political identity]] which hews to a loose collection ([[similarity cluster]]) of beliefs, generally consisting of some combination of the following attributes:
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[[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]].
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* a set of [[belief]]s about society:
 
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** society must be preserved in its present form (it ''must'' not change)
 
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** society ''cannot'' be changed for the better
 
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*** This sometimes includes a [[reactionary]] belief that society should move ''backwards'', adhering more faithfully to traditional ways that have become neglected. To a reactionary, the ideal society would follow traditional forms to the letter.
 
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*** This is often phrased as "the human condition is eternal" or "human beings cannot be perfected" (cf Kipling)
 
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* a strong [[right wing]]/[[authoritarian]] tendency; valuing social hierarchy over [[egalitarianism]]
 
  
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The word "conservatism" (in its various forms) is often used as a more palatable stand-in for beliefs which are actually [[social stagnationism]] or even [[social regressivism]].
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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.
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===Related===
 
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* The [[conservative ideal]] encompasses what is best about conservatism, and ways in which the idea of conservatism is misrepresented or misused.
 
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* Conservatives tend to be on the political [[right wing]].
 
  
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Conservatism encompasses a wide variety of possible viewpoints, with different aspects being emphasized in different countries:
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A well-known quote by a little-known commentator seems to best encapsulate the unspoken goal of conservatism:
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* [[US conservatism]]
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<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>
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* {{rationalwiki|conservative}} has a good run-down of what "conservative" means in a number of different countries.
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<div align=right>&mdash; Frank Wilhoit<ref name=slate /></div>
  
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===At Its Best===
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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]].
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* Conservatism advises saving, rather than spending. Conservatism would be the voice that waits until there is an adequate positive balance in the till before buying new infrastructure or investing in new enterprises &ndash; rather than going into debt to do so.
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===Mindset===
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* Conservatism advises looking carefully at new things before spreading them widely &ndash; and is always ready to take a second look if an accepted idea seems to have had unintended consequences.
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Conservatism seems to arise from these basic values, which are rarely stated or acknowledged:
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* Conservatism advises careful management of resources for the long haul, rather than sacrificing them for short-term gain. (This differs greatly from [[American republicanism]], which tends to see the short-term corporate bottom line as the number one priority.)
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: '''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."
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: '''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.
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: '''3.''' Winning is more important than truth. (That's kind of a corollary of 2 and, to some degree, 1.)
  
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===At Its Worst===
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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.
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* Conservatism is the philosophy which allows social problems to escalate to the point of crisis rather than spend money solving them &ndash; and then, when the small problem is a large problem for which there is no other solution but to spend money, waits for [[American liberalism|liberals]] to demand that money be spent so that they can later heap scorn on said liberals and associate them with the disaster they helped solve and did not create.
 
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* When misfortune strikes, conservatism is the philosophy which will be the first to say "[[tough luck]]" and blame the victims.
 
  
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===Social Conservatism===
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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.
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Social conservatives believe that there is "wisdom embedded in [existing] social structures/norms", and that we tamper with those structures at our peril. In other words, the current social norms are the way they are because they have been proven to work over a long period of time, and there is considerable danger if they cease to work properly.
 
  
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The implication of this is that we don't know how those norms got the way they are, nor why they work. This is at odds with the idea that we as a civilization have been documenting our own history in considerable detail for many centuries now, and are indeed quite capable of noting which experiments have succeeded, which failed, and which were made popular or unpopular without correlation to (and for reasons other than) their success or failure at their intended purpose. The social conservative attitude essentially favors custom over understanding, shuns experimentation, and fears the possible consequences.
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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.
  
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Social conservatives are at odds with social [[liberal]]s on certain issues:
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==Pages==
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* [[marriage]] (liberals want to broaden it, conservatives [[war on marriage|don't]])
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* {{l/sub|pos}}itions taken by conservatism
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* [[death penalty]] (conservatives for, liberals against)
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* {{l/sub|nym}}ography: the terminological landscape
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* [[gun control]] (conservatives against, liberals for)
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* {{l/sub|US}}: conservatist identity in the United States
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===Fiscal Conservatism===
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* {{l/sub|asymmetry}}: the rules do not apply equally
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Fiscal conservatives are more concerned about unnecessary government expenditure, and tend to prefer solutions where private industry or "faith-based" groups provide the bulk of the funding. For this reason, they tend to seek solutions based in [[free market]] incentives. They also tend to be against government regulation, however, which they unfortunately often seem to forget is a [[free markets require regulation|requirement]] for a free marketplace.
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===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==
 
==Quotes==
 
{{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.}}
 
{{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.}}
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* <s>{{dkosopedia}}</s>[[category:!dkosopedia]] no equivalent article (as of 2008-03-27); see [[dkosopedia:Special:Search/Conservatism|search]]
 
* <s>{{dkosopedia}}</s>[[category:!dkosopedia]] no equivalent article (as of 2008-03-27); see [[dkosopedia:Special:Search/Conservatism|search]]
 
* {{sourcewatch}}
 
* {{sourcewatch}}
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* {{rationalwiki}} (redirects to {{l/rw|Conservative}})
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* {{rationalwiki}} redirects to {{l/rw|Conservative}}, which contains a good run-down of what "conservative" means in a number of different countries.
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===Groups/Projects===
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===Orgs (non-US)===
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* [[Americonservatism/organizations]]
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* [[wikipedia:Christian Voice (UK)|Christian Voice]] (UK)
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** non-US:
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{{links/smw}}
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*** '''Conservative Christian''':
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==Footnote==
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**** [[wikipedia:Christian Voice (UK)|Christian Voice]] (UK)
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<references>
 +
<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>
 +
</references>

Latest revision as of 11:42, 28 April 2024

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.

— Frank Wilhoit[1]

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.

— Evelyn Waugh [?]

Links

Reference

Orgs (non-US)


Footnote

  1. ↑ 2022-06-03 The Pithiest Critique of Modern Conservatism Keeps Getting Credited to the Wrong Man
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