[Torus34]

Societies [read: nations] do not exist in a vacuum. They are constantly dealing with stresses imposed from without [nature, other societies, etc.,] and from within [resources, changing mores, etc.,] and they react to reduce the stress. Given a stress which reaches a certain threshold of societal awareness, the reaction can be detrimental to the society itself. Man is capable of mob action. Man can, given provocation, react against his own best interests.

What's needed is some sort of a governor to regulate the rate at which a society changes itself in response to stress. That it must change to survive is an existential fact. History provides an overabundance of examples of those that did not.

Enter the conservatives.

They are at their best when they are aware of their societal function.

[Davea8]

The difference between conservatives and liberals is that conservatives believe society is for the benefit of business, while liberals believe business should be for the benefit of society.

[Kaiserschmarrn]

What's needed is some sort of a governor to regulate the rate at which a society changes itself in response to stress. That it must change to survive is an existential fact. History provides an overabundance of examples of those that did not.

Enter the conservatives.

They are at their best when they are aware of their societal function.

I agree. That's basically why I am a conservative, or at least strongly sympathise with conservatives. They are the centre of gravity of society and ensure stability and continuity. I would go so far and say that conservatives - by which I mean people who are inert and don't "embrace change" - are the most vital group of any society.

However, I don't think that they necessarily need to be aware of their societal function. Potentially detrimental though is when conservatism is viewed negatively and primarily linked to bigotry, prejudice, etc. as seems to be increasingly the case nowadays. In that case, some awareness is probably helpful.

[koby-p]

Exactly, conservatives, like myself, do sometimes get carried away when they do not see their function in society and tend to lose it. Ex: The US right now. We get in our little rut of "Just don't bother me and stay out of my business" and stop being proactive to keep from having to drastically change a society and risk failure. If conservatives can continually influence society then society can avoid risk of failure.

[quetzalcoatl]

I would applaud the idea of Conservatives being a 'governor', at least in conception. My judgement is that they have utterly failed at this task. Conservatives (or those who call themselves such) have not been active in conserving many of the basic attributes of a Jeffersonian republic.

1) They have allowed a continuous state of war to evolve over the past decades without a whimper.
2) They have encouraged and fully participated in a vast enlargement of the power of transnational corporations, in direct contradiction to the limited role of corporate function envisaged by the founders.
3) They have cried foul at the prospect of illegal immigration, yet refused to do the one thing guaranteed to end it: criminal punishment directed at those who hire illegal aliens.
4) They have encouraged and fully participated in the evolution of a shadow government that has continuously grown in proportion to official government. Government by subterfuge is not limited government.

To be fair, "liberals" (in the parochial American sense) have also failed, perhaps to an even more spectacular degree.

[Reason10]

The difference between conservatives and liberals is that conservatives believe society is for the benefit of business, while liberals believe business should be for the benefit of society.

WRONG. Conservatives believe in liberty, the rule of law and freedom. Conservatives believe in personal responsibility. Liberals believe society is too incompetent to be run without the help of government. Liberalism is a poison to any society.

quetzalcoatl said

1) They have allowed a continuous state of war to evolve over the past decades without a whimper.

All of human history is about war. It is a very dangerous planet. There have been wars on America whether we wanted them or not. All conservatives believe in doing is fighting back.

2) They have encouraged and fully participated in a vast enlargement of the power of transnational corporations, in direct contradiction to the limited role of corporate function envisaged by the founders.

Take a little time out and actually READ the United States Constitution, probably for your very first time. Accusing conservatives of participating in the enlargement of transnational corporations is like accusing a child on the beach of allowing the tide to come in. REALLY ridiculous.

3) They have cried foul at the prospect of illegal immigration, yet refused to do the one thing guaranteed to end it: criminal punishment directed at those who hire illegal aliens.

Ah, yes. When in doubt, go for the urban legend. So far, only DEMOCRAT politicians have been caught employing illegals.

4) They have encouraged and fully participated in the evolution of a shadow government that has continuously grown in proportion to official government. Government by subterfuge is not limited government.

The Robert Ludlum argument, huh?
The fact that Barak Hussein Ebola was elected to two terms, one of which with Nazi Pelosi as the speaker of the House pretty much annihilates that ridiculous notion.