Before modernity was, Conservatives are.

[Boojatta]

Those who have studied the characteristics of savage life are always struck by its deadly conservatism, its needless restraints on the freedom of the individual, and its hopeless routine. Man, like plants and animals in general, tends to go on from generation to generation, living as nearly as may be the life of his forbears. Changes have to be forced upon him by hard experience, and he is ever prone to find excuses for slipping back into older habits, for these are likely to be simpler, less critical, more spontaneous--more closely akin, in short, to his animal and primitive promptings.

One who prides himself today on his conservatism, on the ground that man is naturally an anarchic and disorderly creature who is held in check by the far-seeing Tory, is almost exactly reversing the truth. Mankind is conservative by nature and readily generates restraints on himself and obstacles to change which have served to keep him in a state of savagery during almost his whole existence on the earth, and which still perpetuate all sorts of primitive barbarism in modern society.

The conservative "on principle" is therefore a most unmistakably primitive person in his attitude. His only advance beyond the savage mood lies in the specious reasons he is able to advance for remaining of the same mind. What we vaguely call a "radical" is a very recent product due to altogether exceptional and unprecedented circumstances.

from The Mind in the Making, by James Harvey Robinson

[StarfarerBill]

1. FDR said it well:

"A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward."

In other words they fear change, and fear evolving most of all.

[Echo In Light]

2. From Jung:

"Among neurotics, there are not a few who do not require any reminders of their social duties and obligations, but are born and destined rather to be bearers of new cultural ideals. They are neurotic as long as they bow down before authority and refuse the freedom to which they are destined. As long as we look at life only retrospectively, as is the case in the psychoanalytic writings of the Viennese school, we shall never do justice to these persons and never bring them for the longed-for deliverance. For in this way we train them only to be obedient children and thereby strengthen the very forces that made them ill—their conservative backwardness and submission to authority." ~ C.G. Jung

[BbeltAtheist]

3. It's interesting...

that through biological evolution changes are so slow, but societal values/social beliefs seem to be evolving at a much more rapid pace. Look how much has changed in the past 100 years. This gives me reason to hope the progressive movement is almost sure to advance... those who are uncomfortable with it will come along and will eventually take for granted the positive changes that take place, just like they take for granted the positive changes that have been made from 100 years ago.

[Boojatta]

4. Welcome to DU, BbeltAtheist!

:toast:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. John Stuart Mill:

"I never meant to say that the conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it."