It is a question that could be answered a thousand different ways. . Conservative Human life begins at conception. Against regulation? Oppose taxpayer-funded abortion. Politically, cultural conservatism is often confused with social conservatism. Conservatism promotes (and so does liberalism, misguidedly) the idea that liberalism is about activist government where conservatism is not. For there exists no Model Conservative, and conservatism is the negation of ideology: it is a state of mind, a type of character, a way of looking at the civil social order. (1964) is a conservative classic—as relevant today as it was a half century ago. Against same-sex marriage? Conservatism, as a political and moral philosophy in the Anglo-American tradition, has a long history that is usually traced back to Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790). What is conservatism? Although it is no ideology, conservatism may be apprehended reasonably well by attention to what leading writers and politicians, generally called conservative, have said and done. Burke, the Irish-born philosopher and politician, was not against all change. In the U.S., the term often incorrectly describes members of the religious right because they share ideologies on social issues. Taxpayer dollars should not be used for the government to provide abortions. Christian conservatives tend to like being described as cultural conservatives because it implies that America is a Christian nation. . It is unrelated to the history of conservative government. The market is the greatest producer of wealth in human history—don’t shackle it. . The attitude we call conservatism is sustained by a body of sentiments, rather than by a system of ideological dogmata. Basic fiscal conservatism. “Conservative, n. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.” . Conservatism means freedom and small government — we are taxed enough already! Conservatism promotes activist government that acts in the interests of the aristocracy. Abortion is the murder of a human being. This is absurd. This has been true for thousands of years. An unborn baby, as a living human being, has separate rights from those of the mother. See more. Conservatism definition, the disposition to preserve or restore what is established and traditional and to limit change. In recent years, the Republican party has all but discarded this concern. Homosexuality violates the ancient tradition of marriage and its divine and/or philosophic definition. Conservatism is partly a belief in pragmatism, which means not changing things unless there is a very good reason to do so. . . Just what is conservatism?Many people are groping for answers, especially as conservatives seem to retreat into factions—Tea Partiers, traditionalists, libertarians, … Conservatives long believed—and conservative elected officials at least paid lip service to the belief—that taxpayer money is a public trust, to be spent wisely and, where possible, sparingly. https://www.britannica.com/topic/conservatism/General-characteristics Scott Olson/Getty Images. What Is Conservatism?