What is Conservatism

Conservatism is more than limited government, family values, or preserving the status quo. It is, to quote Dr. Russell Kirk in his 1953 magnum opus, The Conservative Mind, the preservation of the ancient moral traditions of humanity.
The word itself connotes the idea of conservation against forces of decay and dissolution. By contrast, the word "liberal" connotes a more relaxed approach to historic moral traditions, and in the modern sense, has come to mean an agenda publicly hostile to those traditions. Indeed, the development of liberalism (also called "radicalism"), even by the time The Conservative Mind first appeared, was such that Kirk could close his first chapter with the following words:
"If a conservative order is indeed to return, we ought to know the tradition which is attached to it, so that we may rebuild society; if it is not to be restored, still we ought to understand conservative ideas so that we may rake from the ashes what scorched fragments of civilization escape the conflagration of unchecked will and appetite."

Entire Article can be found here