Phil Agre has written an excellent article on Conservatism, both defining what it is and illustrating its opposition to democracy and equality.

Liberals in the United States have been losing political debates to conservatives for a quarter century. In order to start winning again, liberals must answer two simple questions: what is conservatism, and what is wrong with it? As it happens, the answers to these questions are also simple…

UPDATE August 2006:  I’m adding the keyword “aristocracy” to this, because that’s the real crux of Agre’s argument.