Conservatism
[kən'sɜːvə,tɪzəm] or [kən'sɝvətɪzəm]
Definition
(noun.) a political or theological orientation advocating the preservation of the best in society and opposing radical changes.
Editor: Tess--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) The disposition and tendency to preserve what is established; opposition to change; the habit of mind; or conduct, of a conservative.
Editor: Moore
Examples
- But conditions change whether statesmen wish them to or not; society must have new institutions to fit new wants, and all that rigid conservatism can do is to make the transitions difficult. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Possibly the leaders would travel too fast and too far on the road to perfection if conservatism did not also play its salutary part in insisting that the procession move forward as a whole. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- He wanted to go back to the dullest conservatism, to the most stupid of conventional people. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Absolute democrats can also line up their witnesses: the conservatism of the Swiss, Wisconsin's successful experiments, the patience and judgment of the Danes. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Rightly understood, the idea behind the words contains all that is valuable in conservatism, and, for the first time, gives a reputable meaning to that tortured epithet constructive. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Success makes men rigid and they tend to exalt stability over all the other virtues; tired of the effort of willing they become fanatics about conservatism. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
Checker: Marty