ABSTRACT
Modern American conservatives, following a tradition that dates back to Plato, have con-sistently demonstrated an aversion to the egalitarian aspects of democracy. Conservative thinkers as diverse as Michael Novak (1996), Leo Strauss (1968), and Richard Weaver (1948) have all argued that modern democracy, which inexorably reduces distinctions among citizens, is the most “pernicious result” of liberal political thought. In applying their philosophy to public policy issues, conservatives have argued that remedial policies designed to correct structural inequalities threaten the “traditional order” of society. While we accept the view that modern conservatism plays a critical role in contemporary politics by raising questions that must be answered by liberals, we contend that conservatism’s constructive role in fashioning public policy is limited. We agree with the observation of Christopher Jencks that conservative principles applied to public policy increase income inequality and, in turn, increase social and political inequality.1 We extend the argument of Jencks and show that in its critical mode conservatism raises important questions that must be considered when fashioning public policy, however, in its constructive mode, conservative policies often undermine equality thereby undermining democratic values.
