American Conservatism: Reclaiming an Intellectual Tradition

by Andrew J. Bacevich

First, conservatives generally believe that there exists a transcendent moral order, to which we ought to try to conform the ways of society.

So the question for me is that does this necessarily leed to the notion that one must have a religion? No I would answer, in that I d think that is a transendent moral order on the simple premise that humans have rights, the right not to be killed unjustly etc etc

Second, conservatives uphold the principle of social continuity. They prefer the devil they know to the devil they don’t know. Order

This is a bit weird for if they believe that there is a trancendent moral order, then why is only found over social experiences, that sound awfully subjective to me

Conservatives argue that we are unlikely, we moderns, to make any brave new discoveries in morals or politics or taste. It is perilous to weigh every passing issue on the basis of private judgment and private rationality.

HUmans haven't change musch in the last 10K years, yet the world taht we live in has, seeing that while useful to look at the history of humanity, progress needs to happen to take intpo account new things, history is not the fountain of all knowledge, rather like Nehrue's boat, we patch and change things as the boat developes new leaks

Fourth, conservatives are guided by their principle of prudence. Burke agrees with Plato that in the statesman, prudence is chief among virtues. Any public measure ought to be judged by its probable long-run consequences, not merely by temporary advantage or popularity.

This is where republican have steared off course but liberals have not, Republicans are radical in that they now seek p[ower for power sake and are willinig to say anything to get that power, its populaism on steriods

Fifth, conservatives pay attention to the principle of variety. They feel affection for the proliferating intricacy of long-established social institutions and modes of life, as distinguished from the narrowing uniformity and deadening egalitarianism of radical systems. For the preservation of a healthy diversity in any civilization, there must survive orders and classes, differences in material condition, and many sorts of inequality. The

Once again liberals seek variety, conservative seek varity, rupublicans and "wook" seek, unification into one POV

Sixth, conservatives are chastened by their principle of imperfectibility. Human nature suffers irremediably from certain faults, the conservatives know. Man being imperfect, no perfect social order ever can be created.

In the USA both liberals and conservative agree with this statement, liberals will want to help improve the lots of life of people whom are disavantaged, conservative will look upon such action with the view of unintendeseeks to impose heaven on earth. d consenquences, both agree that progress is a ok thing, republicans are intertested in impopsing their thinking upon the whole, the evangelical

If one requires a single sentence—why, let it be said that for the conservative, politics is the art of the possible, not the art of the ideal.

For democrats and conservative, this sentence is just true, for the republicans they want the ideal - power.