Revolution and Conservatism.

I think my biggest problem with Burke's idea of conservatism (and conservatism in general) is its relationship with the past. According to Burke, retrospection should be used to maintain the status quo rather than as a way to study and build upon the past. While I absolutely agree that you can't move forward without having first looked back, I absolutely disagree that the reason we look back to the past is to imitate it. The idea that backwards is the way to look is just that: backwards. Moving forward needs to be about moving forward, not about dragging outdated policies and ideologies along with us.

Burke says that people "should not think it amongst their rights to cut off the entail, or to commit waste on the inheritance, by destroying at their pleasure the whole original fabric of their society." He claims that, if we had this right, "the whole chain and community of the commonwealth would be broken." But what if it needs to be broken? I wonder how much suffering and oppression Burke would be willing to allow at the expense of keeping alive this "original fabric." The very nature of humans it trial and error; to touch fire and realize that it hurts and not touch it again. If a society is functioning properly, there won't be an issue of rebellion. If a society fails to serve its people, however, than no ancient order should prevent them from changing it.