What True Conservatives Believe: The Individual is Supreme to the State

VIA SBINSIDER NEWS\ANALYSIS | September 15th, 2024

With all the noise that is concomitant with an election year and the rise of populism in both parties, (Trump, Sanders) as an enduring aspect of national politics, thoughtful people may be pondering what are the conceptual ideas of conservatism that allegedly underlie the Republican Party, as opposed to the Left’s beliefs in a fully socialized society?

In the 1960’s Russell Kirk and William F. Buckley created the following list:

1. A belief in an enduring moral order – timeless principles and objective moral truths are as real as any natural law, such as the law of gravity or the law of the harvest.

2. The adherence to custom, convention, and continuity – we build on and respect the sacrifices and contributions made by those who came before us.

3. The principle of prescription or building upon the genius of those who came before us – no one person suddenly has all the answers to society’s problems, but we get the answer through wisdom,

4. The principle of prudence – being realistic about what can and cannot be done is a central principle of conservatism.

5. The principle of individual variety over the uniformity and deadening egalitarianism of socialist and other utopian systems – we believe in individual freedom – which is why we oppose speech codes, restrictions on religious expressions, and individualism.

6. The principle of imperfectability – since we know human nature is flawed and therefore governments must also be – James Madison expressed this perfectly in the Federalist Papers when he said, “If men were angels, we would have no need for government.” There is no such thing as a perfect system of government or economics. The systems that are best (not perfect) are those that maximize the respect and freedom of the individual.

7. That freedom and property are linked – an inescapable conclusion for conservatives. One only owns what one has paid for – one way or another.

8. The principle of voluntary community over involuntary collectivism – Jesus never suggested that the way to help the poor was to pay more taxes but rather to give generously from the heart. Collectivism has never worked, while communities are the foundation of a healthy society.

9. Prudent restraints upon power and human passions – no one person should possess too much power; the more diffused power is, the safer the freedom of the people is. But at the same time, we should not be able to trample on the rights of others because of our own self-centered desires. There is a balance.

10. Permanence and change must be recognized and reconciled in a healthy society – change occurs all the time, but there are certain principles that are objective and unchangeable that must be considered for a change to be successful. The language of conservatism must be updated with each generation, and the same timeless principles must be applied to current problems. One can’t repeat what worked 40 years ago because those times were different, but the principles that created success should be applied to today’s problems. We must continually innovate and confront new problems while maintaining an anchor to truth and experience.