What is Conservative?

At the root of what makes conservative thought conservative, regardless of whether it is economic, social or religious thought, is a black-and-white world view. Conservatism's ultimate failure, which prevents it from passing any real-world test of its correctness, is that it overgeneralizes the world in an attempt to cope with its complexities. Social conservatives, only able to deal with a world made of people like themselves, treat anyone significantly different with an "us vs. them" mentality. Economic conservatives insist on rigidly following a single economic theory: free market capitalism, which they define so as to make any concessions to other (e.g. more socially beneficial) economic models heresy. And religious conservatives (not all religious people, however) understand the world in a way that takes the guesswork out of right vs. wrong. There are the converted and the heathens. Existence is a battle of good vs. evil. Our ultimate reward or punishment will be found in heaven or hell. While such simple philosophies make it easier to feel that you've got your life and the world around you under control, that is just an illusion. And you do yourselves and your community a great disservice by holding on to this illusion, because it ultimately creates unnecessary suffering and injustice in the world.