# Conservatism - What is it as a Philosophy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 4, 2024, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservatism-what-is-it-as-a-philosophy/1005231 "2024-08-04T01:36:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 22
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservatism-what-is-it-as-a-philosophy/1005231/22 "2024-08-05T15:48:39Z")
Re: OP See also, > [@What things can conservatism NOT do without, when boiled down to its core?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-can-conservatism-not-do-without-when-boiled-down-to-its-core/986839): > > It’s not hard to see what core elements of liberalism cannot be removed - you can’t take LGBT, feminism, abortion, out of the party plank and still be liberal. It’s a lot harder to pin down conservatism. For instance, I don’t see any reason why a conservative leader or party couldn’t raise taxes on the rich and still be conservative - saying “raising taxes on the rich helps us indirectly reduce our budget deficit” would be totally conservative. No reason why conservatives couldn’t embrace unive… > [@A definition of conservatism - "in-groups" and "out-groups"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-definition-of-conservatism-in-groups-and-out-groups/918646): > > Widely quoted on the Internet these days is the following definition of conservatism: “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.” - Frank Wilhoit What “in-groups” and “out-groups” do you think fit that description? > [@American conservatism has exhausted its credibility](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-conservatism-has-exhausted-its-credibility/920373): > > It had quite a good run, from 1980 to now, pulling the political center-of-gravity to the right and obliging even the Dems to follow and catch up. But what’s left of it now? You guys let yourselves get too close to the Tea Party and the alt-right – that stain won’t come out for another generation. The social/religious right was Always Wrong About Everything that distinguished it from anything else, and has no future in a society where the Millennials are less religious, racist, sexist, homoph… > [@How does sane conservatism differ from liberalism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-sane-conservatism-differ-from-liberalism/942320): > > Every now and then there are people on the left and right who lament the craziness of the modern GOP and call for a return of “sane conservatism” (or some term that approximates that.) But each time they do, their definition of sane conservatism (supporting contraception, gun control, LGBT, healthcare reform, higher taxes, etc) sounds a lot like…liberalism. Ditching conspiracy theories and Trumpism would be a sure one. But in what ways should a conservative (or conservative party) be “sane” wh… > [@Ex-Republican strategist: Republican Party conservatism was always a lie](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-republican-strategist-republican-party-conservatism-was-always-a-lie/918812): > > Stuart Stevens, who was Romney’s strategist—“it was all a lie” … “Fair trade, balanced budgets, character, family values, standing up to foreign adversaries like Russia—we’re all against that now. You have to ask, ‘Does someone abandon deeply held beliefs in three or four years?’ No. It means you didn’t ever hold them.” He added: “I feel like a guy who was working for Bernie Madoff.” I’ve been saying this for a while now. Post-WWII conservatism, particularly since 1964, has been about noth… > [@What does "good conservatism" look like?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-good-conservatism-look-like/843985): > > We seem to be in a season of “examining ourselves” of late with many threads in ATMB. With \*\*Bone’s \*\*recent departure and also \*\*TubaDiva’s \*\*thread, I’ve had something on mind lately: What does good conservatism look like, on this message board? I generally hold conservative political views, although there are a few issues on which I am very liberal, such as prison/criminal-justice reform, taxes, gun control, etc. (but that’s a topic for another day.) We have had numerous polls done here be… &etc. ~Max --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservatism-what-is-it-as-a-philosophy/1005231)._