Social Contract
Underlying free societies in western Europe and North America is the "Social Contract". This concept is defined by various constitutions and bills of rights and describes the relationship between the government and the citizens. The Social Contract can be summed up in one statement: Citizens will live their lives as they wish, unfettered or restricted by government, as long as their activities do not have a negative impact on other peoples' rights to live as they wish, and government will enact no laws which unreasonably restrict the activities of the citizenry. This is the philosophy which is generally called conservative. This provides us with a litmus test of all activities, whether by the government or the citizens.