A thinker who made interesting contributions to the discussions of conservatism is John Kekes. He makes a very important point which is that conservatives define what it means to live a good life based on how one’s course of actions corresponds to the existing moral order. This moral order exists in reality and outside of individual wishes of human beings. To a conservative, “lives are good if they conform to this moral order and bad if they do not,” says Kekes.
A liberal also looks for a path to a good life. His compass, however, is moved from the external reality into his inner world. The measure of good and bad is not external to him. It is, on the contrary, completely internal. Things are good if they emanate from the from the desires of his authentic self. His goal in life is to reveal this inner self as fully as possible to himself and others. The external moral order is, to him, not a good and wonderful thing. It is, rather, an absolute horror that places limitations on the manifestations of his inner authentic self.
This is a great way to draw a defining line between conservative and liberal worldviews. Does the idea of a moral order to the creation of which you did not contribute attract or repel you? Should there me external moral limitations on the desiring self? Yesterday we talked about the over-reliance on the concept of consent. This is precisely what happens when we do not accept an external moral order (whether it comes from God, tradition, history, or anything else) and try to resolve every moral issue by appealing to the desires of individuals.
Here is how Kekes puts the contradiction between inner desire and outward goodness:
Good lives must be satisfying and beneficial, but these
requirements often conflict because satisfying lives may
not be beneficial and beneficial lives may not be satisfying.
This raises the question of which requirement should
be dominant, and it has far-reaching political consequences
how it is answered.
Are the “Iwannas” of the desiring self the most important thing in the world? Or should there be limitations placed on ways in which individuals seek satisfaction? Should “social authority prevail over individual autonomy”? Or vice versa? And in what areas of life?
Let’s stop here for the time being but I will have more about Kekes later.
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