Social conservatism

Social conservatism refers to support for traditional morality and social mores and the desire to preserve these in present day society. Social conservatives are not opposed to change per se, but believe that all change should be directed in such as way as to leave traditions intact. The opposite of social conservatism is called social progressivism.

Social conservatism is widespread throughout the world, as there are people within each nation and culture who seek to retain what they consider to be an ideal or traditional social structure. However, the meaning of social conservatism varies between locations, depending on the social, religious and national traditions of a particular place. It may be, for instance, socially conservative to promote traditional Western marriage in a Protestant, Catholic, or LDS community, but socially conservative to promote polygamy in a devoutly Muslim community. What is considered to be socially conservative is therefore very much dependent on what is considered traditional.

The opponents of social conservatism are usually those who see no particular value in established tradition and consider it to be an impediment to positive change. For instance, some argue that traditional views in most present-day societies have been carried over from an oppressive past and are harmful to individuals or to specific groups. Examples of major movements in American History that social conservatives have opposed include freedom of religion, abolition of slavery and Jim Crow laws, same-sex marriage, the suffrage of women and racial minorities, termination of child labor, the choice of abortion, the teaching of evolution in public schools, ending McCarthyism, and equal civil rights for African-Americans. While proponents of social conservatism typically do not support movements long settled in the past, they counter that many "modern" values are "corrupt" and decadent.

Resources

Carlson, Alan, The Family in America: Searching for Social Harmony in the Industrial Age (2003) ISBN 0-7658-0536-7
Carlson, Alan, Family Questions: Reflections on the American Social Crisis (1991) ISBN 1-56000-555-6
Chesterton, Gilbert K., Brave New Family (1990) ISBN 0-89870-314-X
Fleming, Thomas, The Politics of Human Nature, (1988) ISBN 1-56000-693-5
Gallagher, Maggie, The Abolition of Marriage: How We Destroy Lasting Love (1996) ISBN 0-89526-464-1
Himmelfarb, Gertrude, The De-moralization Of Society (1996) ISBN 0-679-76490-9
Hitchens, Peter, The Abolition of Britain. (1999) ISBN 0-7043-8117-6
Jones, E. Michael, Degenerate Moderns: Modernity As Rationalized Sexual Misbehavior. (1993) ISBN 0-89870-447-2
Kirk, Russell, The Conservative Mind, 7th Ed. (2001) ISBN 0-89526-171-5
Magnet, Myron, Modern Sex: Liberation and Its Discontents (2001) ISBN 1-56663-384-2
Medved, Diane and Dan Quayle, The American Family: Discovering the Values That Make Us Strong (1997) ISBN 0-06-092810-7
Sobran, Joseph, Single Issues: Essays on the Crucial Social Questions (1983) ISBN 1-199-24333-7.

Resources

See also