system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[POLITICAL SCIENCE]  What exactly are conservatives conserving?

This might be a dumb question, but seriously, what are they conserving?  And for that matter, what defines liberal?

I'm trying to steer clear of political party platforms and focus on a personal definition.

Apologies if this isn't as clear as I had hoped.
gpt
There isn't an absolute answer to this, and it depends on the context.

"Conservative" can mean socially conservative. This usually means preserving things the way they are or were, and a conservative in this sense is usually against things that radically change historical or traditional institutions or arrangements.  This is a "don't mess with what works" attitude.  Examples of this in the US would include "conservate" opposition to same-sex marriage, unhappiness with lots of immigration, preservation of Christianity's "historical" role in society, etc. 

 In opposition to this sense of "Liberal" (or more properly "progressive") implies a tendency to want to change society for the better. Rather than trying to preserve what has worked in the past, social progressives are all about trying to engineer a better tomorrow, for example by passing laws that protect minorities, by creating social programs that help the poor, etc.  In the US, these are people who want equal pay laws for women, who want same sex marriage recognized, who want affirmative action programs, etc.

Conservative can also mean economically individualistic, or anti-socialist.  This is an economic concept that embraces market economies, and generally rejects redistribution of wealth. In this context, "Liberal" can mean Leftist or Socialist. The healthcare debate is the best example of this in the US. Some people think that everyone ought to get healthcare regardless of ability to pay; others think that the government should not taking money from some to give healthcare to others, and that people should only get what they earn and can pay for in the marketplace.  

Just as "conservative" can mean many things, "liberal" can too. It can mean progressive, as above.  It can also be used to refer to what some people call "classical liberalism" or "libertarianism". This refers largely to an opposition to moral legislation, or a sense that in general people ought to be left alone to do whatever they want, so long as it doesn't harm others, and that individuals will make their own decision on how to live. Used in this sense, "liberals" are generally against drug prohibition, against laws that make prostitution and gambling illegal, for same-sex relationships, and against things like mandatory seatbelt laws, minimum wage laws, and other laws intended to protect people from themselves.