Since tradition is a human thing it may reflect human vices as well as virtues. The same, of course, is true of relying on autonomous reason, or the "feel good" approach. In this century, anti-traditional theories supported by intelligent men for reasons thought noble have repeatedly led to the murder of millions of innocents.  For example, socialism – which is rooted not in tradition but what seems to be best at the moment – has had many forms including national socialism (promoted by the German National Socialism Labor Party known as the Nazis), communistic socialism (promoted by Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin known as politics of the proletariat) and tribal socialism (as promoted by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia). 

In each case, socialism resulted in millions of innocent lives being taken by the German, Russian and Cambodian governments based upon what “felt good” to their leaders at the time in question.  A more recent example, although one that has not yet taken significant lives, is the expropriation of General Motors by the United States in which labor union members who had contributed to the election of the current socialist regime were rewarded for their contributions while millions of shareholders who had purchased General Motors equity as retirement investments were wiped out – an economic death, if you will.  Such is the reward of following what feels good instead of following the tradition of honoring another’s property as set forth in our Constitution.

The issue therefore is not whether tradition is perfect but, rather, does it have an appropriate place in human life. To the extent our most consistent aim is toward what is good, and we err more through ignorance, oversight and conflicting impulse than through coherent and settled evil, as in the case of socialism, tradition will benefit us by linking our thoughts and actions to a steady and comprehensive system in which they can correct each other.

Thus, conservatism will secure and refine our acquisitions while hampering antisocial impulses. To the extent we consistently aim at what is evil, then tradition cannot help us much, but neither can anything else short of divine intervention.