Conservatives have never been able to agree on a definition of conservatism. The historian of modern conservatism, George Nash, concluded that it is “misdirected” to try to formulate a definition of conservatism: “I doubt that there is a single, satisfactory, all-encompassing definition of the complex phenomenon called conservatism, the content of which varies enormously with time and place.” There have been many competing definitions of conservatism, and most of them sound credible, depending on the aspect of liberalism at issue. If it's responding to government attempts to control the market, a free market definition of conservatism sounds good. If it's responding to the free-fall of morality in contemporary society, a Christian-based definition of conservatism sounds good. If we're dealing with foreign policy, an America-first conservatism makes sense.
