Social conservatism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article or section has multiple issues:
Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page. |
| The Conservatism series, part of the Politics series |
| Schools |
| Cultural conservatism |
| Liberal conservatism |
| Social conservatism |
| National conservatism |
| Neoconservatism |
| Paleoconservatism |
| Libertarian conservatism |
| Ideas |
| Fiscal frugality |
| Private property |
| Rule of law |
| Social order |
| Traditional society |
| Organizations |
| Conservative parties |
| Int'l Democrat Union |
| European Democrats |
| National Variants |
| Australia |
| Canada |
| Colombia |
| Germany |
| United States
|
| Politics Portal |
Social conservatism generally refers to a political ideology or personal belief system that advocates the conservation or resurrection of what one, or one's community, considers to be traditional morality and social structure. However, the accepted meaning of traditional morality often differs from group to group within social conservatism. Thus, there are really no policies or positions that could be considered universal among social conservatives. There are, however, a number of principles to which at least a majority of social conservatives adhere.
A second meaning of the term has developed in the Nordic countries. Here it refers to pro-welfare liberal conservatives.
Contents |
[edit] Definition and Core Principles
| This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007) |
There are two main principles which drive Social Conservatism:
Limit the definition of family. Social conservatism opposes divorce (except for infidelity), premarital sex, commercialization of sex, sequential monogamy, domestic partnerships, and same-sex marriage. However, not all social conservatives agree with each other on these principles: for instance, Roman Catholic social conservatives do not believe in divorce for any reason, while other social conservatives accept divorce for any number of reasons. Roman Catholic social conservatives also (typically) oppose contraception in any form and oppose in vitro fertilization. Groups who consider themselves social conservatives hold a wide range of views on issues related to the family.
Sanctity of human life. Social conservatism is often believed to generally reject abortion, euthanasia, and embryonic stem cell research. Socially conservative Quakers, Mennonites, and Amish maintain that their their pro-life beliefs require of them a pacifist view of war. As with matters related to the family, social conservatives do not generally agree among themselves about even these issues. Many social conservatives reach the conclusion that their respect for traditional notions of individual autonomy, limited governmental power, and privacy require them to support a pro-choice policy on abortion. Prominent social conservatives such as Nancy Reagan are vocal supporters of stem cell medical research. Social conservatives who oppose the death penalty are a distinct minority.
Social conservatism is virtually universal among the Christian Right. The basic principles are believed to derive from Natural Law — that is, the system of social norms that may appear to arise naturally in human societies through time and across cultures — rather than being a construct specific to one culture or time.
Therefore, the way social conservatism plays out in practice varies between locations, depending on the social, religious and national traditions of a particular place. However, they all have in common the idea of protecting or enhancing their respective understanding of what constitutes "family" in relation to that of the State.
[edit] Social vs. Other Conservatisms
There is no necessary link between social and fiscal conservatism. In fact, some social conservatives are otherwise apolitical or even left-wing on fiscal issues. For example, social conservatives may also support a degree of government intervention in the economy, and as such will tend to support the concept of a social market economy to further this aim. This concern for material welfare, like advocacy of traditional mores, will often have a basis in the religion of the social conservatives in question. Examples include the Christian Social Union of Bavaria, the Family First and Democratic Labor Party of Australia, the so-called red tory movement in Canada, and the Communitarian movement in the United States.
There is more overlap between social conservatism and paleoconservatism in that they both have respect for traditional social forms. However, paleoconservatism has a strong cultural conservative strain which social conservatism, in and of itself, is not necessarily allied with. For example, John Burger, writing in Crisis Magazine in 2005, said:
"The presence of a significant population of culturally Catholic immigrants offers hope that their culture will permeate a decadent American society and contribute to the re-evangelization of native-born Catholics. . . Abortion is still illegal in most Latin American countries. And in most areas, it’s not even part of a person’s consciousness." [1]
[edit] Social Conservative Political Parties
Many Christian Democratic Parties around the world are socially conservative.
Canada
- Family Coalition Party of Ontario
- Christian Heritage Party of Canada
- A large number of Conservative Party members in Canada are considered socially conservative also. For example, the Conservative Party was the only mainstream party that opposed same-sex marriage in Canada. Although the party has no stance on abortion, many of its member are for fetal rights, and it is the de facto party for pro-life Canadians.
Australia
- Democratic Labor Party
- Family First
- Christian Democratic Party
- A large number of Liberal Party and National Party members in Australia are considered socially conservative also, as are those members of the Australian Labor Party associated with the Shop Stewards union.
Germany
Chile
United States
Ireland
Nigeria
Sweden
Japan
United Kingdom
[edit] Resources
Books
- Carlson, Alan, The Family in America: Searching for Social Harmony in the Industrial Age (2003) ISBN 0-7658-0536-7
- Carlson, Alan, Family Questions: Reflections on the American Social Crisis (1991) ISBN 1-56000-555-6
- Fleming, Thomas, The Politics of Human Nature, (1988) ISBN 1-56000-693-5
- Gallagher, Maggie, The Abolition of Marriage: How We Destroy Lasting Love (1996) ISBN 0-89526-46 4-1
- Himmelfarb, Gertrude, The De-moralization Of Society (1996) ISBN 0-679-76490-9
- Hitchens, Peter, The Abolition of Britain. (1999) ISBN 0-7043-8117-6
- Jones, E. Michael, Degenerate Moderns: Modernity As Rationalized Sexual Misbehavior. (1993) ISBN 0-89870-447-2
- Kirk, Russell, The Conservative Mind, 7th Ed. (2001) ISBN 0-89526-171-5
- Magnet, Myron, Modern Sex: Liberation and Its Discontents (2001) ISBN 1-56663-384-2
- Medved, Diane and Dan Quayle, The American Family: Discovering the Values That Make Us Strong (1997) ISBN 0-06-092810-7
- Sobran, Joseph, Single Issues: Essays on the Crucial Social Questions (1983) ISBN 1-199-24333-7.
Social Conservative Groups in Canada
- Socons United
- Équité-Famille (French language)
- REAL Women of Canada
- Preserve Marriage - Protect Children's Rights (French and English)
Social Conservative Groups in USA
Social Conservative News Services
[edit] See also
- Christian Democracy
- Conservatism
- Paleoconservatism
- Pro-life
- Communitarian
- Social conservatism (Canada)
- Distributism
- Social progressivismda:Socialkonservatisme
es:Conservadurismo social fr:Conservatisme social nl:Sociaal conservatisme sr:Пермисивност sv:Socialkonservatism
