JF

Socially left view history as an arrow pointing in one direction: forward. If a negative change occurs, for example the loss of some prior tradition, this isn't attributed to a contingent and reversible cultural shift but the unfolding of a new truth that can't be unseen.

A conservative position typically emphasizes the return of a missing piece by means of the will of the collective against the forces of history. Leftists think that although a conservative movement can make headway, it can only create something new, and frustrate its own purpose.