As I make my way through American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia (ISI Books, 2006), some nuggets of wisdom seem especially blog-worthy.
Bruce Frohnen’s 3 1/2-page entry on “conservatism” includes the following:
Conservatives’ rejection of liberals’ claims that they may, if only given the political power, reshape individuals into more caring, healthy members of richer communities rests in part on an appreciation of the importance of private property and free markets. These social institutions serve as important bulwarks of individual and group initiative against state planning. Free markets form an important structural component of a good society, from the conservative perspective, because they allow individuals and the groups to which they belong to work and trade together, free from undue interference from politicians seeking to dictate what people should make or buy, or how they should live.
