Conservatism and human nature
Conservatism accepts mankind's fallenness, advocating for order and discipline while eschewing utopianism.
Written by Bo Winegard.
By me upheld, that he may know how frail
His fallen condition is, and to me owe
All his deliverance, and to none but me.
—John Milton, Paradise Lost
A good political ideology must be concordant with human nature. Ideologies that are not, however inspiring they might sound, will inevitably lead to frustration and ultimately to disillusionment. This essay presents the case that conservatism is the political ideology that is the most consistent with human nature.
The fundamental premise of conservatism is original sin. Humans are flawed, fallible, limited creatures. For thinkers in the Christian tradition, original sin was a separation from God and an almost inexplicable drive to disobey his divine orders. For the secular, original sin can be understood as the inevitable gap between ideal and real.
