Warning: the following is something of an over-simplification, in the same way that it is an over-simplification to say that French cuisine is tastier than English cuisine, or to say that men are taller than women.
Modern American conservatives (at least those in the free-market camp) insist that physical and biological reality must be the product of conscious design and creation, but these conservatives also readily accept that productive social orders — such as markets — can, and do, emerge undesigned and unplanned — spontaneously.
Modern American "liberals" (at least those who aren’t religious in the conventional sense) insist that productive social orders must be the product of conscious design and creation, but these "liberals" also readily accept that non-social orders — such as the human mind and the flamingo’s smile — can, and do, emerge undesigned and unplanned — spontaneously.
UPDATE: Steve Horwitz reminds me of his wonderful post of a few years back, Social Snowflakes.
