The Ten Principles of the Orthodox Conservatives - 10. That Change, Where Necessary, Should Be Cautious and Reversible

The Tenth Principle of Conservatism, from the Orthodox Conservative website. 

From Orthodox Conservatives

10. That change, where necessary, should be cautious and reversible. (For erasing institutions and history can uproot much of what was worthy.)

10. That change, where necessary, should be cautious and reversible

Conservatism is not the resistance to change, but a cautious and sceptical eye cast on the change that inevitably occurs. Change is, the old saying goes, the only constant; and as Hogg noted (as we show above), conservatism thinks of society as an organism, but the only organism that does not change is a dead one. Throughout this document, we have dealt implicitly with the idea of change, but we must distinguish between change that is legitimate, and illegitimate. 

Organic change, that which is legitimate, comes from within civil society, and is a product of that knowledge that is passed down through wisdom mixed with the experimentation of the individual that we have explored above (see section three) in such a way that our traditions and social heritage is not threatened but complemented. Illegitimate change is that which is imposed from without, a product of the engineering impulses of the utopians (see principle nine) or the destructive winds of chaos that have no regard for the heritage of the people who must suffer these changes.

To that end, change that is legitimate is not only that which arises from within a community, but that which develops slowly and gradually, always with the option of rowing back or rejecting the failed experimentation of change where it has gone wrong. This is to protect that which we have.

Some people might ask, how this might fit in with the action of Brexit, of the British peoples’ vote to leave the European Union. In this we think it is important to look back to the Glorious Revolution of 1688; conservatism is often caught between the comfortable reality of the status quo, and the recognition that that status quo has gone wrong somewhere. Indeed, this was the dilemma facing the Parliamentarians who had invited Charles II to rule once the republican failure of the Commonwealth had revealed itself, which only led to further problems and tensions in the country. Instead, the past was consulted to find the most suitable solution, and one was found in the form of William of Orange and his wife Mary. To restore the constitution of Britain to its proper identity, William was invited to become King William III of Britain, and to correct the historic wrong that came out of the Civil Wars. The same is true of Brexit; a historic mistake was made, and that mistake was rectified – indeed, the changes made under the umbrella of European membership proved itself to not be compatible with that form of change the conservative values, in that it was not reversible, despite the continual efforts of British politicians.

So, change, though it is real, must be made safe for the society that experiences it. When the socialist and liberal cries “change!” the conservative simply seeks to ask, “why?” If no suitable answer can be made, then the conservative will refuse; if one can be made, however, then the conservative will acquiesce, provided that answer is consistent with the practices and identities of society.

Concluding Remarks

So, what is the conservative philosophy? We only inherit the products of society, the institutions it has fostered, the behaviours they promote, and the stability this combination has produced; we must listen to the wisdom of those that came before us, and discipline the limits to our own actions alone, and seek to predicate those limits on experienced moments of truth; the resistance to the rationalisation of the market economy should illustrate our resolve against the rationalisation of the behaviour of individuals, and the goals they choose themselves; and government must be kept at an arm’s-length from society and refrain from forcing goals and ends to be pursued on those who do not care for them, and only guide society where the social fabric looks to be tearing itself apart, and provide the moral leadership necessary for us to become the best possible versions of ourselves.