Again, you are treating these terms as equal to their contemporary meaning in bipartisan US politics, when they are pretty well-defined terms for describing political ideology in general. Part of that is one of the pillars of conservatism, that humans are imperfect beings and thus need institutions to guide them. So i would say you’ve pretty much got it backwards. I’m not making this up, you can go and read up on this for yourself.
This is an even more absurd reply.
> Again, you are treating these terms as equal to their contemporary meaning in bipartisan US politics, when they are pretty well-defined terms for describing political ideology in general.
I’m neither American nor using US partisan definitions. I’m using the terms as they’re broadly understood in political theory and history.
> Part of that is one of the pillars of conservatism, that humans are imperfect beings and thus need institutions to guide them.
That’s a paternalist or technocratic premise, not a conservative one. Classical conservatism accepts human fallibility but trusts evolved social norms not bureaucracy to contain it. The belief that people must be centrally guided is the antithesis of that tradition.
> So i would say you’ve pretty much got it backwards. I’m not making this up, you can go and read up on this for yourself.
You might try the same. Hobbes wasn’t a conservative - he was an absolutist. Quoting him to define conservatism is like citing Marx to define capitalism.
> Part of that is one of the pillars of conservatism, that humans are imperfect beings and thus need institutions to guide them
Who made this definition, left wing scholars? I doubt many conservative persons would say this.
You could just as well say that this is the central pillar of communism, that people need to be controlled since they are too evil if they are free to form companies and structure themselves. Or that this is the central pillar of social democracy, that without big taxes and central institutions to spend peoples money on things that benefits them they will make bad choices and not get the things they need.
Every government is about taking control from the people, I don't get what you mean that conservatives would do this more than any other group.
I feel the entire philosophical distinction is tainted to the point where it should be retired and no longer discussed. It was useful as a thought experiment but folks in general have shown they are completely unable to understand this and instead treat it as some tribal dogma to which they must choose allegiance. It's become harmful.
I say it should be kept in the university library under lock and key, something philosophy professors can sit and debate in their spare time behind closed doors. /s