The concept of tradition at the crossroads between liberalism, conservatism, and communitarianism

This article examines how tradition is conceptualized among liberal theorists (Friedrich Hayek, Karl Popper, Michael Polanyi, and Edward Shils), conservative thinkers (Michael Oakeshott and Roger Scruton), and the communitarian philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre. Employing a qualitative methodological approach grounded in hermeneutics and the morphological analysis of ideology, this study situates the concept of tradition within both contemporary political theory and recent debates regarding the spatial differentiation of left, center, and right ideological families. Notwithstanding the differences among the three theoretical and ideological currents examined, this article argues that they can be brought into dialogue to yield a distinctive theory of tradition predicated on the interplay of tradition, reason, and change. The morphological analysis reveals that tradition operates as a versatile component, acting as a core or adjacent concept capable of crossing ideological boundaries. Although the examined thinkers use disparate terminologies (spontaneous order, fiduciary framework, narrative, tradition-constituted enquiry), they share a substantive understanding of tradition underpinned by critical or traditionalist rationalism and a preference for evolutionary change – fundamental to the operation of liberal democracies – while repudiating dogmatic or constructivist rationalism and revolutionary change.