The desire to conserve is the underlying theme of conservative ideology, though it is not the sole objective which conservatives of all shades seek to obtain. The characteristics of conservatism, as evolved in different forms and conveying the fundamentals of conservatism can be identified.
The conservative view of society is an organic society: the individuals do not and cannot exist outside society, but they are rooted in society, and belong to it; they are parts of social groups and these groups provide the individuals’ lives with security and meaning. The conservative’s view of liberty is not ‘leaving the individual alone’, but is one where there is willing acceptance of social obligations and ties. For the conservatives, liberty is primarily ‘doing one’s duty’.
When the parents, advise their children to behave in a particular way, they do not constrain their liberty, but they are providing a basis for the liberty the children would enjoy when they grow up. The conservative view of liberty is neither atomistic nor rootless: it is the enjoyment of rights together with the performance of duties, either before or after or both.
The conservative view of society is one that is a living thing, an organism whose parts is neither equal nor the same, work together and makes a human body function properly; each part of organic society plays a particular role in sustaining and maintaining the health of society.
