The Classical Liberal Sensibility

In 2019, George Will elaborated his vision of American conservatism in The Conservative Sensibility. American conservatism is a “sensibility,” according to Will, in that it is something “more than an attitude and less than an agenda.” It entails a broad approach to politics flowing from an appreciation of the wisdom of the American founders—especially James Madison. Will’s conservatism does not prescribe specific policy commitments, but rather emphasizes prudential action to preserve the American constitutional order, which Will characterizes as “classically liberal.” To be a true American conservative, then, is to strive to promote and conserve classically liberal social and political arrangements.