The Inevitability of Conservatism Author:Henry J. Perkinson Why is conservatism inevitable? Political conservatives want to preserve constitutional government; economic conservatives want to maintain the free, competitive market; cultural conservatives want to protect the traditional cultural institutions??the family, religious institutions, schools, and local communities. This book argues that all conse... more »rvatives have a common goal: to place critical checks on human conduct. These critical checks are necessary because humans are fallible: the actions we take have unanticipated and unwanted political, economic, and social consequences. The critical checks imposed by constitutional government, the free, competitive market, and the traditional cultural institutions prevent fallible human beings from doing too much harm in governmental actions, economic transactions and social interactions. But the progressives ignore human fallibility. This book traces the rise and development of the progressive impulse in America, and shows how it has undermined constitutional government, the free-competitive market, and the traditional cultural institutions. As a result, the policy has been impaired, the economy weakened, and the society destablized. Yet, although we can ignore human fallibility, it is a condition we cannot escape. Hence, conservatism is inevitable.« less