Kirk's Six Canons of Conservative Thought

Townhall.com's Hall of Fame ^ | 1953 | Russell Kirk

[Thumper1960]

Nah.....Hildebeast's mating call was included in her rant last week.

But, it's close.

Shatner was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy out of his league with the "singing" career.

[William McKinley]

You may find it helpful to read this excerpt from The Conservative Mind chapter on Burke and the politics of prescription, in order to get a feel for the meaning he is attaching to the term 'prescription'.

[marron]

The University wants to give, essentially, preference based on skin color to compensate for the fact that if they went strictly on merit, they would not get the desired ethnic mix, presumably because in the inner city schools and inner city families the children have not had the same opportunities to develop into achieving students.

And yet you can achieve the same outcome by offering scholarships based on economic need. If racial descrimination has resulted in poverty being heavier among one ethnic group or another, then scholarships based on economic need would tend to help one group more than another. But the criteria would be financial, not ethnic.

There is evidence that abandoning affirmative action for simple need-based scholarships has increased the numbers of "minority" students at university. So you have to wonder what is the source of the controversy.

[William McKinley]

I am guessing (since it is all we can do) that the reason he said 'required' is that he believes it to be a fact of nature-- where you, Celtjew, stated it is 'remotely possible', I gather from his writings that he believed it to be an impossibility.

Although in todays language, I agree that the phrasing 'required' makes it sound as if he is advocating men requiring it, rather than it being a natural phenomena that can never be breached.

[Belial]

Belief in a transcendent order, or body of natural law, which rules society as well as conscience.

I hear this idea bandied around a lot, by both conservatives and libertarians. I don't believe it's an orthodox Christian thought, but seems to be Christianity meeting neo-Platonism to create some perfect set of laws that exists in heaven, which our customs aspire toward or are derived from. It seems like a fairly mystical, primitive thought and I don't understand why so many subscribe to it.

[inquest]

It's just another way of saying a belief in an absolute moral law. Nothing that should be terribly controversial among conservatives.

[William McKinley]

Burke said "Example is the school of mankind,
and they will learn at no other."

Experience shows clearly that there has always been change, and there will always be change.

Experience also shows clearly that change has generally been resisted. And the resistance to change acts to protect against a 'devouring conflagration' of 'hasty innovation'.

But stopping change is a fool's errand. Stopping change would be a radical depature from history. It is probably for this reason that the most fanatical tend to get pidgeonholed as conservative extremists; in reality they are trying to break from history (the history of perpetual change) rather than conserving the lessons of history, and as such may probably be better described as reactionary ideologues than conservatives.

[tm22721]

Affection for the proliferating variety and mystery of human existence

As in diversity ?

Conviction that civilized society requires orders and classes

As in British royalty and India's caste system ? I thought that's what America was trying to escape from ?

First and foremost, conservatism is about independence and freedom. Everything else is secondary.

BUMP

[Centurion2000]

Captain Kirks canons of thought.

1) Always take the time to sleep with alien chicks (if they look good)

2) Never trust a Klingon

3) Arguing logic against Vulcans is futile

4) Set phasers to deep fry !

[William McKinley]

Yes, diversity is conservative. As a matter of fact, in Barry Goldwater's famous nomination acceptance speech (the one with the famous lines "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice; moderation in the defense of liberty is no virtue.") he spent a few paragraphs on the importance of diversity and how it is a conservative and Republican ideal. The bland, force homogenity that liberals try to pass off as diversity is not to what either Kirk or Goldwater were referring.

And Kirk was not arguing for a caste system like India's so your second comment is a non sequitor.

[William McKinley]

And because of this administration we are tonight a world divided. We are a nation becalmed. We have lost the brisk pace of diversity and the genius of individual creativity. We are plodding at a pace set by centralized planning, red tape, rules without responsibililty, and regimentation without recourse...

We Republicans see in our constitutional form of government the great framework which assures the orderly but dynamic fulfillment of the whole man as the great reason for instituting orderly government in the first place.

We see in private property and in economy based upon and fostering private property the one way to make government a durable ally of the whole man rather than his determined enemy. We see in the sanctity of private property the only durable foundation for constitutional government in a free society.

And beyond all that we see and cherish diversity of ways, diversity of thoughts, of motives, and accomplishments. We don't seek to live anyone's life for him. We only seek to secure his rights, guarantee him opportunity, guarantee him opportunity to strive, with government performing only those needed and constitutionally sanctioned tasks which cannot otherwise be performed.

We Republicans seek a government that attends to its inherent responsibilities of maintaining a stable monetary and fiscal climate, encouraging a free and a competitive economy, and enforcing law and order.

Thus do we seek inventiveness, diversity, and creative difference within a stable order, for we Republicans define government's role where needed at many, many levels - preferably, though, the one closest to the people involved: our towns and our cities, then our counties, then our states, then our regional contacts, and only then the national government...

Balance, diversity, creative differences - these are the elements of Republican equation.

So, yes, diversity. Affection for the proliferating variety and mystery of human existence.

[Texas_Jarhead]

BUMPmark

[LiteKeeper]

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[Tin-Legions]

Brilliant! If you made this up, it is great stuff.
On a similar note, as a Trek fan, I got to meet George Takei the other day-nice, well spoken guy. I would of liked to sit and have lunch with him.

Now back to the ponderous, but nonetheless informative Kirk....