In order for a state to survive, the citizens must obey its laws. But why should people obey the laws of the state? Presumably, because being a citizen is better than not being a citizen. This is to say that there is something about being part of a human political community that is better than not being part of a human political community. Some of the benefits include safety, comfort, friendship, and happiness. All of these things seem easier to achieve in a political state where laws and restrictions are in place regulating how people behave.
So, if the state needs people to follow its laws in order to survive, and the survival of the state benefits those in the state, then it would seem to be in everyone's interest for the state to actively promote the following of its laws.
How is this done? The best way to do this, is to set up institutions that educate citizens in the correct way. By education, I do not mean the skills to read charts or solve math problems. I mean the formation of character traits and habits that produce good people. It is in everyone's best interest for society to train us in a way that actively promotes certain values. It is in society's best interest to promote virtue among its citizens.
The above is an outline of an argument. It needs to be filled in, and in no way stands on its own as anything other than a brief sketch. But the sketch seems plausible. If the goal or end of the state is to make us better people, then it would behoove the state to instill in us certain moral habits, as opposed to a love of freedom for freedom's sake, or a love of money above all else. This outline of an argument sketches one of the main tenets of conservatism as I see it: The goal of a society is to make us better people. More will be written about this in the future.
-Cato the Youngest
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