To seek for utopia is to end in disaster, the conservative says: we are not made for perfect things. All that we reasonably can expect is a tolerably ordered, just, and free society, in which some evils, maladjustments, and suffering will continue to lurk. By proper attention to prudent reform, we may preserve and improve this tolerable order. But if the old institutional and moral safeguards of a nation are neglected, then the anarchic impulse in humankind breaks loose: "the ceremony of innocence is drowned."
The conservative endeavors to so limit and balance political power that anarchy or tyranny may not arise. In every age, nevertheless, men and women are tempted to overthrow the limitations upon power, for the sake of some fancied temporary advantage. It is characteristic of the radical that he thinks of power as a force for good - so long as the power falls into his hands.
Russell Kirk defines conservative as, “The conservative is concerned, first of all, with the regeneration of the spirit and character - with the perennial problem of the inner order of the soul, the restoration of the ethical understanding, and the religious sanction upon which any life worth living is founded. This is conservatism at its highest.”
Thomas Jefferson put the liberal ideal into one succinct paragraph: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are life, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the Governed….”
Generally, conservatism is defined contrary to liberalism. Let us see some of the differences between them.
Liberals support the separation of church and state. Religious expression has no place in government. The two should be completely separate. Government should not support religions expression in any way. All reference to God in public and government spaces should be removed.
Conservatives say that religious symbols should not be removed from public and government spaces. Government should not interfere with religions and religious freedom.
Liberals believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve problems.
Conservatives believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free market, individual liberty, traditional values and a strong national defense. Believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems.
Conservatives believe that human life begins at conception. Abortion is the murder of a human being. An unborn baby, as a living human being, has separate rights from those of the mother. Oppose taxpayer-funded operation abortion. Taxpayer should not be used for the government to provide abortions.
Liberals are of the view that a woman has the right to decide what happens with her body. A fetus is not a human life, so it does not have separate individual rights. The government should provide taxpayer funded abortions for women who cannot afford them. The decision to have an abortion is a personal choice of a woman regarding her own body and the government must protect this right. Women have the right to affordable, safe and legal abortions, including partial birth abortion.
Conservatives deny legalizing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. It is immoral and unethical to deliberately end the life of a terminally ill person or enable another person to end their own life. the goal should be compassionate care and easing the suffering of terminally ill people. Legalizing euthanasia could lead to doctor-assisted suicides of non-critical patients. If euthanasia were legalized, insurance companies could pressure doctors to withhold life-saving treatment for dying patients. Many religions prohibit suicide and euthanasia. These practices devalue human life.
Liberals say that euthanasia should be legalized. A person has a right to die with dignity, by his own choice. A terminally ill person should have the right to choose to end pain and suffering. It is wrong for the government to take away the means for a terminally ill person to hasten his death. It is wrong to force a person to go through so much pain and suffering. Legalizing euthanasia would not lead to doctor-assisted suicides of non-critical patients. Permitting euthanasia would reduce health care costs, which would then make funds available for those who could truly benefit from medical care.
Liberalism shows a great tendency towards secular ideas; so religious instructions are seriously marginalized in this school of thought. In other words, liberalism provides freedom at the cost of one’s beliefs and religious principles. Hence, when there are no boundaries and limits attached to liberty, it will lead to many challenges. I believe that wherever the role of religion is diminished, that society will encounter a moral decline. Certainly, freedom empty of faith and principle will give birth to moral corruptions which are contrary to religion and morality.
Martin Luther King, Jr. says, “I also came to see that the superficial optimism of liberalism concerning human nature has overlooked the fact that reason is darkened by sin. The more I thought about human nature, the more I saw how our tragic inclination for sin encourages us to rationalize our actions. Liberalism failed to show that reason by itself is little more than an instrument to justify man’s defensive ways of thinking. Reason, devoid of the purifying power of faith, can never free itself from distortions and rationalizations.”