Conservatism

Conservatism is a major political philosophy supporting traditional values or an established social order. Etymologically, the word conservatism implies that conservatives seek to conserve the existing social order or to reinstate an ideal social order now in decline. This can take a peaceful democratic form or violent radical form, and there are historical examples of both.

Related Topics:
Political philosophy - Etymologically - Democratic - Radical

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The reasons any two conservatives might oppose change, along with the particular changes they oppose, tend to differ across countries and history. Conservatism's rallying call is simple enough to summon a diversity of adherents. For example, both nationalist defenders of ?Dutch tolerance? as a traditional national value and Islamist supporters of Sharia law in the Netherlands, disparate though they are, can be called conservative. As local and historical situations vary, so does the conservatism, and it varies most generally by the values it supports and the limits those values would place on innovation.

Related Topics:
Islamist - Sharia - Netherlands

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In politics, conservative philosophy underlies the ideology of conservative political parties in various countries. Even in the absence of a Conservative party, the values conservatives defend vary widely from country to country. Some equate conservatism with the political right, but depending on the circumstances, conservatism can also apply to the political left. A Russian conservative might look back to better times under communism. Conservatism as a philosophy is much older than the left-right division.

Related Topics:
Political parties - Political right - Political left - Russia - Left-right division

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In English-speaking countries, conservatism often refers to a political philosophy presented by English statesman Edmund Burke. Burkean conservatives wish to conserve heritage; they advocate a political bias in favour of the current social climate. To a Burkean, any existing value or institution has undergone the correcting influence of past experience and ought to be respected. They insist that further change beyond the current situation be 'organic'.

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