“What is conservatism?” Lee Edwards summarized the rough consensus that emerged: They accept “an objective moral order” of “immutable standards by which human conduct should be judged.” Whether they emphasize human rights and freedoms or duties and responsibilities, they unanimously value “the human person” as the center of political and social thought. They oppose liberal attempts to use the State “to enforce ideological patterns on human beings.” They reject the centralized power and direction necessary to the “planning” of society. They join in defense of the Constitution “as originally
...more
