The provisional nature of traditionalist conservatism’s political principles and its wariness of “ideology” often lead to tentativeness in addressing disputed matters of public policy. There is also a strong element of “organicism” in conservative thought—as opposed, it is said, to “mechanistic” liberal social engineering. Gardening provides an apt metaphor for the traditionalist conservative’s approach to statesmanship. Thus, such conservatives often act not so much to “achieve” certain ends but to create the conditions in which social goods may (or may not) flourish according to their nature. What is more, the traditionalist conservative appreciates that all political solutions are partial or temporary. There are no final solutions to the human predicament, and there will be no end of history.
(Mark C. Henrie, "Understanding Traditionalist Conservatism," chap. 1 in Varieties of Conservatism in America, ed. Peter Berkowitz [Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press, 2004], 3-30, at 19 [italics in original])
