We're all Conservatives, to Some Extent. And that's a Good Thing. | TE Cons Report

Why the c-word is unfairly maligned, and why this must change.

Welcome to the new TaraElla Cons Report, the counterpart to my Lib Lib Report. In the Lib Lib Report, I talk about liberal and libertarian ideas and visions, and how we can apply them in the 21st century West. In this new series, I will focus on conservative philosophy, in a similar way.

I think one of the things the early 21st century West is lacking is a robust and healthy intellectual discussion on conservative philosophy. Now, some of you might be surprised that I am saying this. After all, I have identified as a liberal, a Moral Libertarian, a moderate, a centrist, a practical progressive, but I have never identified as a conservative. Moreover, I have many disagreements with what is considered conservative politics in the contemporary West. So why would I have any use for conservative philosophy?

Let's be honest. If you are a moderate or a centrist of any kind, you are at least partially conservative, because you essentially believe in balancing conservatism with progressivism. If you are a liberal, then you are committed to be open-minded to conservative points of view, and if they are indeed the most sound views, you would allow them to win in the marketplace of ideas via the natural process of competition. If you consider yourself an evidence-based person, then you have to at least acknowledge that institutions and values based on many centuries of evidence at least count for something. Finally, if you are a practical progressive, you would base your progressive ideas at least partially on what has worked well in the past. Therefore, one can certainly be liberal or moderate and still be conservative to a significant extent. Indeed, without acknowledging the conservative parts of our philosophy, we would be left with a very weak defense against those who want to radically remake society using untested and unsound theories.

I guess the reason so many of us are reluctant to acknowledge the conservative parts of our philosophy is because conservatism doesn't exactly have a good reputation in intellectual circles right now. Indeed, I have the feeling that, if I told some of my acquaintances that there is a conservative part to my philosophy, they might react all weird, like 'so you're a conservative'? In the minds of many people out there, the word 'conservative' is associated with racism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry. However, this does not have to be true. It is only this way because reactionary politicians have had a near monopoly on the term 'conservative' for too long. And this monopoly is undeserved too, because in recent years, reactionary politics have often been anything but conservative, in the original sense of the word.

Another reason why we shouldn't shy away from acknowledging our own conservatism, is that the ongoing lack of a healthy appreciation for conservative philosophy has led to the rise of a deeply reactionary style of 'conservative' politics. This is actually the biggest reason why I am speaking out on this topic now. Conservatism is part of the natural temperament of many people, and if it isn't allowed to be acknowledged and respected in a healthy way, it is going to be expressed in a deeply reactionary way, one that reflexively blocks all proposals for progress, and even yearns to turn the clock back by decades. The lack of a healthy conservatism, one that can reassure people that the fundamental things about their society are safe, will leave many people with no option but to embrace a reactionary attitude.

I think the lack of a healthy intellectual conservatism is not just a coincidence, nor is it just an accident of history. Rather, back in the 1960s and 70s, a generation of students became so disillusioned with society, they thought that everything radical was great, and everything conservative was evil. Some of them eventually became very influential among intellectual circles, and their efforts shifted the Overton Window there so far to the radical side that any kind of conservatism essentially became marginalized. I believe it's time we addressed this error, and actively seek to welcome a healthy dose of conservative philosophy back into mainstream intellectualism.