Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: too common and too rare -- An ideology tree -- Conservatism: premise foundations -- The core value of conservatism: ordered liberty -- The central question of conservatism: the glue problem -- Conservatism: branches -- Liberalism: premise foundations -- The core value of liberalism: social justice -- The central question of liberalism: the oppression problem -- Liberalism: branches -- Emotions & nightmares -- Value divides -- Liberty & equality: consensus values with conflictual meanings -- Issue positions and mutual misunderstandings: explaining conservative and liberal policies -- The origins of contemporary ideology: explaining neocons versus paleocons & multiculturalists versus liberals -- Conclusion: conservatism, liberalism, and American democracy.