The Problem With Conservatism

     I thought it'd be interesting today to write about the conservative movement, and why I think it is inherently opposed to progress. I should clarify that I am talking primarily of social conservatism and not of classical, fiscal, or economic conservatism. The last three would all make good topics of debate later, but to keep this short I'll have to exclude them here. Social conservatism is usually defined as a defense of existing social norms and values. It values traditional views of family, church, and the existing social order.
     I suppose my biggest beef with conservatism is that it is diametrically opposed to the rationalist, freethinking view. By placing an emphasis on tradition and placing the highest value on what currently is, you reject improvements to society solely because it is diferent than what you grew up with. There is no reason to believe that we are at the pinnacle of human civilization and that we should just strive to maintain the status quo. If we take our lessons from history, we see that there is always room for improvement by social change. In the medieval days, going from a feudal system to a market-based system was a positive change. Abolishing slavery in the 1800s was a positive change. Giving women the right to vote in the early 1900s was a positive change, or so I'm told. Desegregation was a positive change. These are all issues that social conservatives were on the wrong side of. The reason that social conservatives are historically always wrong is that societies do change, naturally. Societies and social instritutions evolve with time, both because of scientific advances but also because of changes in the political and economic climate. New approaches and new outlooks are needed for new circumstances. Since the beginning of time civilization has increasingly bettered itself, by providing more rights and freedoms to more people, and by increasing life spans and human happiness. And we haven't given rights out to everyone yet, just look at the gay and lesbian community. Their rights are denied to them not only because gay marriage is not a traditional thing, but because it is "immoral".
     The underlying reason why social conservatism is so backwards is that it is strongly rooted in the preservation of church and the church's values. Historically, the church has always been against civil liberties and science, and since social conservatism is concerned with enforcing the church's views, it will also be against liberty and science (aka progress).