What does it mean to be conservative? American conservatism, it needs to be emphasized, is far different from the aristocratic conservatism of Europe, or the authoritarian conservatism of Latin America. Here are some of its canons.
Conservatives are highly suspicious of promised utopia and earthly salvation. The purpose of politics is not to gain redemption. It’s to carve out a system of justice under the rule of law, a moral order and freedom ? recognizing that human beings are neither perfect nor perfectible.
When governments seek utopia, they end in oppression, because man and society are infinitely complex and cannot be reshaped by any institution of experts. To think otherwise, as F.A. Hayek wrote, is a fatal conceit.
Conservatives ? whether traditionalist, libertarian, neocon or any other kind of conservative ? understand that power is a zero-sum game. When power is assumed by government, it is lost by individuals. There must be a stopping point in every program and plan beyond which no government should be allowed to go, not merely because of budgetary concerns but because of the inevitable loss of freedom.
Conservatives believe there is an intimate connection between private property and freedom. Indeed, economic freedom is an essential part of human freedom. As the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom has documented for more than two decades, when given the chance, freedom works everywhere. It produces more prosperity and more freedom for more people than any other economic system.
Conservatives believe in the necessity of change, yes. But not in radical change based on abstract theories and the passions of the moment. They prefer “the politics of repair” rather than “the politics of destruction.”