Kerwick's Corner: Defining Conservatism

One of the most interesting aspects of US conservative politics is that it often represents different things to different people.

In this week's "Kerwick's Corner," About.com guest writer Jack Kerwick examines the core elements of the movement's ideology, providing scholars with a basic understanding of what it means to be conservative in America.

From the column:

Conservatives have always exhibited an unmistakable suspicion of grand innovative proposals for “social change,” and an abhorrence of revolutionary change. It isn’t that conservatism is “opposed to change,” whatever such an expression could mean; rather, while there will always be changes, the conservative prefers gradual change, change that is compatible with continuity and, thus, friendly to the preservation of order.

Next week, Kerwick will continue his analysis of the movement by peeling back its layers, removing unwanted excess and analyzing the movement's two main inner circles -- paleoconservatism and neoconservatism.

Meanwhile, check back later this week, when I'll be offering another conservative perspective in the first installment of the upcoming occasional series, "The Egalitarian Nightmare."

More from Kerwick:

• Toward a Dialogue on Conservatism
• Proposition 8 & the Hypocrisy of the Left
• Edmund Burke: Conservatism's Patron Saint