George Will wrote that “Conservatism has always been defined by its insistence on limits to the claims the collectivity — the public sector — could make on the individual,” in a recent article I read in the Washington Post. This seems to be a reasonable definition, although it also seems to overlap with Libertarianism. Essentially, these claims from society can be about money or morality.
One could define liberalism as the opposite, asking more from the individual for the collectivity. Having the two sides push and pull on the dividing line with reasonable, rational debate could be considered healthy for the country.
But today’s conservatism has pushed this line so far to the right that it sometimes feels like, “I’ve got mine; screw you.” This attitude is especially obvious on moral issues, which is surprising because many liberal moral issues can be boiled down to “leave the individual alone.” If a person is Black, stop the racism. If a person is a woman, stop the misogyny. If a person is LGBTQ+, then, again, just let them be. Just treat everyone with the same respect you’d give to people in your own group. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, it would neither pick your pocket nor break your leg to do so.
What’s frustrating is the constant resistance to these ideas, often framed as “shoving it down our throats.” There seems to be zero flexibility on these stances, despite liberals seeing them as extremely reasonable asks. You often hear “reasonable people can disagree,” but it’s disingenuous when used to justify oppression or discrimination. Sure, reasonable people can disagree about pizza toppings, but not about fundamental rights and equality.
In the end, by pushing conservatism to such extremes, modern conservatives risk losing the basic principles of respect and collective responsibility that can make society better for everyone. This inflexibility and refusal to engage with what many see as basic human rights not only harm society but also betray the core conservative ideas of individual liberty and limited government. By holding onto these extreme positions, conservatives undermine their own philosophical foundations and the potential for a balanced and fair society.
An alternative path could be for classic conservatives to disown the “Trump” conservatives and reclaim their party, perhaps even renaming it. However, given that the MAGA movement has firmly taken over the leadership of the Republican party, this seems unlikely. The influence of Trumpism has deeply embedded itself within the party, leaving little hope for a return to traditional conservative values. Without a significant shift, the polarization and extremism are likely to continue, further eroding the foundations of what conservatism once stood for.