Collective government is presented as a check on weaknesses that individuals may not control on their own. Greed and insecurity provide the main examples, while even compassion can become excessive when detached from competing needs. In this account, older conservatism began as an anti-ideological preference for governing from circumstances and facts rather than a fixed programme. That tradition is contrasted with modern movements that use the conservative label for explicit doctrines such as small government, while liberalism is also said to begin from a realistic view of human fallibility. The comparison rests on the assumptions these traditions make about human nature.
Notable Point · 2:33:32-2:35:15
Classical conservatism, liberalism, and human fallibility
A political-theory aside presents government as a collective check on personal weaknesses and distinguishes older conservatism from modern ideological programmes.