Proponents of gay legal equality naturally find themselves at odds with conservatives. And indeed, many conservatives joined in this debate seem motivated by little more than anti-gay animus. But it's worth recalling now and again that conservatism and liberalism, tradition and change, both have a role in maintaining society. In that vein, I found this article posted at Tech Central Station of interest. The theme: conservatism ensures that possibly dangerous social change is held in check until the preponderance of evidence shows that the change won't rend the social fabric. Writes social philosopher (and liberal turned conservative) Keith Burgess-Jackson:
Conservatism is not committed to the proposition that every tradition is respectable and valuable, and therefore worth conserving. It is committed to a presumption in favor of tradition. ... [Conservatives] believe that traditions incorporate and express important values. ... It's often said that conservatives are obstructionists. They are, of course, but they don't obstruct for the sake of obstructionism any more than liberals endorse change for the sake of change. Conservatives obstruct because they're trying to keep liberals from making things worse.
Liberals have a dismissive attitude toward what came before. They are confident that they can do better. ... Conservatives, by contrast, have a respectful attitude toward what came before. They view the present as a link between past and future. ... Liberals look forward, believing that peace, justice, and happiness are just around the corner, if only we let reason be our guide. Conservatives look backward, believing that if we tinker with tradition, even with the best of intentions, we are as likely to get war, injustice, and misery as their opposites.
Here's one example: 60s-era liberals condemned conservative opponents of welfare/income redistribution as mean-spirited reactionaries; welfare expansion then fostered an inner city culture of dependency that perpetuated poverty.
Of course, many conservative-rightists may be disingenuous
haters of "the other"; but then so are many "caring"
liberal-leftists (as I can personally attest from some of the
name-calling hate mail I've received). Either political philosophy,
if not held in check, can unleash authoritarian impulses and
produce its own version of tyranny.
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