"Conservatism today is advocating not just disrespect for many activities of government but even blanket disdain for government and hence for the political vocation. Conservatism's vision of civic virtue, however, depends on more than adherence to a particular policy agenda. It depends on respect, even reverence, for our political regime--for our constitutional order understood as a formative enterprise."

George F. Will, author, syndicated columnist, and recipient of AEI's 1995 Francis Boyer Award, presented this diagnosis of what he termed the cultural contradictions of conservatism in his Francis Boyer Lecture at AEI's Annual Dinner on December 6 in Washington.

"Contemporary conservatism's greatest service," Mr. Will continued, "has been to refocus attention on an elemental fact that the founders understood: society is a crucible of character formation." But while conservatism is correct to resist the temptations of a government that promises to meet all needs and solve all ills, it is not yet sufficiently clear about how our constitutional order is supposed to contribute to the creation of good citizens.

The founders expected that "potentially divisive passions might be tamed by being diverted from factional politics into commerce. . . . But what was to prevent acquisitive people from coming to regard the government as just another arena in which they could strive for material well-being?"

"Conservatives today are required to tell people what people would rather not be told: that they should be formed by respect for the Constitution. That is, they should be formed for a life of choosing not to choose all that government can offer, because those offerings come at a cost to the virtues of independence and moderation," Mr. Will concluded.