Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie
“Two years ago I published ‘The Philosophy of Conservatism’ as a series of essays on Conservatism and Conservatives. I divide it into small-c conservatism, which is a character trait, ‘a disposition averse from change,’ as Lord Hugh Cecil put it. The small-c conservatives oppose change because it is upsetting, and because the loss of the familiar is threatening. ‘Every change is an emblem of extinction,’ as Oakeshott expressed it. Large-C Conservatism is a political tradition, not a character trait. It recognizes that change happens because of new technology, new information and new ideas. But it wants change to come from below, organic, evolutionary and unplanned. It opposes imposed change, preconceived plans.” (05/27/26)