ABSTRACT
How do we bind together a free and fragile society so that it does not degrade into indecency, disorder, fading power, and eventual collapse? The prominent answers to this question explain the branches of conservatism. One possible answer is simply hierarchy. We can construct systems of control and authority through strong government powers and rigid social institutions. We counter the threat of disorder by imposing order from above. This may be effective, but it contradicts the conservative desire for the liberty and dignity of the individual. Control by the state destroys freedom, and ceding power to the collective over the individual robs us of dignity. We want individuals to control themselves, not government to do it for them. Most conservatives conclude that the answer of brute power is illegitimate except in dire emergencies. The role of hierarchy in conservative thought is more complex than a wholesale rejection, and we will return to it later, but it is a problematic answer at best. So how do we respond to the glue problem?
