Born in Ireland in 1729, educated at Trinity College, Dublin, Edmund Burke migrated to London to study law. Through a long political career including terms in Parliament, Burke came to represent the traditional British conservative thought. Burkean conservatism values the past traditions, manners, education, and culture. It rejects sudden change, radical innovation, and newness in fashion. For Burke, the ideas, practices, and traditions (including in art, music, religion, and economics) that have endured for many years embody the best in Western civilization and have a civilizing effect on later generations. New ideas and techniques are unproven until they have stood "the test of time," so a healthy society will pass down (through education and culture) the best of the historical past through training of the young in classical philosophy, art, music, and literature. Humans are not born good but require careful nurturing and training to develop into good, moral, civilized beings. If proper training of the young is neglected or radical innovations in education and the family interjected, chaos and misery will follow. For Burke, humanity is distinguished from other species by its "taste" or aesthetic, artistic appreciation of beauty. If that human capacity to produce and love beauty is cultivated, it will create an ethical, civilized populace. This requires exposure to the most beautiful art, music, landscapes, architecture, and manners at a young age. Much of Burke's objection to radical reform movements comes from their rejection of the past, which he sees as the source of civility.

Burke's mature conservatism is developed in response to the French Revolution of 1789 in his book, Reflections on the French Revolution. The French revolutionaries' claim that they could remake and improve society according to democratic theories was repulsive to Burke. Such "speculative" philosophy for him ignored the slow, organic progress of political change. A social contract for Burke was not (as it is in Rousseau) something you could quickly define in your mind and apply to society; the true social contract is a long-term, cultural phenomenon between the past, the present, and the future. Sudden political change, without respect for past traditions and other cultural aspects (family, property, religion, education) will produce a nightmare of violence and disorder rather than improvement and progress. Burke claims that the British revolutions (1640, 1688) did not discard the past wholesale but preserved the valuable traditions of English law and civilization, only improving upon major problems (and those gradually). The American Revolution of 1776 was in this British tradition of preserving English liberties and rights, so Burke approved of it. What troubled him about the French Revolution (as would the later Russian and Chinese revolutions) was the sudden and radical changes made in government and society. The violence and oppression that follows such "idealistic," utopian revolutions would not have surprised Burke.

Radical revolutionaries tend to come from the ranks of the poor, rejected, and dissatisfied in society. When they gain power, they use it ruthlessly to destroy the traditional institutions and people who rejected them. Consequently, for Burke, most post-revolutionary governments are cruel and vindictive, and their leaders mean and angry. Burke contrasts these mad revolutionaries with the mild, civilized authority of established rulers.

A Burkean conservative values those institutions and people who preserve the best of the past. These consist of the wealthy, the church, the military, the family, and the well educated. Private property, religion, and traditional education form the cultural foundations for law, stability, and good order. Change should occur gradually and thoughtfully, careful not to disturb any valuable aspect of the past. Respect for authority, ancestors, and tradition preserves the good society. This explains why Burke regards old ideas or "prejudices" as good--they knit together society.

Edmund Burke also argued for the independence of the British Parliament and the "representative" role of the parliamentary member (as opposed to the "delegate" role). A representative uses independent wisdom and judgment, while a delegate simply expresses the direct will of constituents.

Burke's philosophy influences later conservative political thought in the West. His love of the past and respect for tradition arises during every conservative period, including during the Reagan era in the United States and Thatcher era in Great Britain.

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