conservative radicals

"I've gotten the impression MAPs are fairly "conservative", for lack of better word. Even those claiming to oppose the status quo would rather keep it essentially unchanged than favor radical change."

It depends on the individual, of course. Many of the MAP pioneers were boy lovers who were very radical indeed, but they mostly died of AIDS 30 years ago - precisely because they were too radical.

The current crop still has some radical tendencies, but seems particularly conservative in the understanding of human nature. We seek to better understand human nature in order to create a solid foundation for future generations, and that requires an understanding of history - which is sobering.

For those of us who are American, the rarity of successful revolutions in history combined with the success of the American Revolution which was very conservative in many ways, and was successful in large part because of those conservative tendencies, is also an inspiration.