A Question of Temperament [What makes one a conservative?] First of a Series

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Tuesday, December 3, 2002 | ROGER SCRUTON

[TroutStalker]

LONDON -- Here and there in the modern world you can find countries with conservative parties. Britain is one of them. But the U.S. is the last remaining country with a genuine conservative movement.

This conservative movement is expressed in politics, in social initiatives among ordinary people, in the media, and in intellectual journals with an explicitly conservative message. True, political philosophy in the American academy has been dominated by liberals, and by the project to which the late John Rawls devoted his life, of producing a theory of justice that would vindicate the welfare state. Nevertheless, even in American universities, you can come across conservatives who are prepared to defend their beliefs.

[Just another Joe]

"We the people," it says, constitute a nation, settled in a common territory under a common rule of law, bound by a single Constitution and a common language and culture. Our primary loyalty is to this nation, and to the secular and territorially-based jurisdiction that makes it possible for our nation to endure. Our national loyalty is inclusive, and can be extended to newcomers: but only if they assume the duties and responsibilities, as well as the rights, of citizenship. And it is reinforced by customs and habits that have their origin in the Judaeo-Christian inheritance, and which must be constantly refreshed from that source if they are to endure. In the modern context, the American conservative is an opponent of "multiculturalism," and of the liberal attempt to sever the constitution from the religious and cultural inheritance that first created it.

An excellent article, TS.
If you start up a ping list for this type of thing, put me on it.

[joebellis]

for further review

[TroutStalker]

I just started one for this series. You're at the top Joe.

[airborne]

A conservative view to a problem - "How can I solve this?"

A liberal view to a problem - "What's the government doing to solve this?"

[Dudoight]

Yes, please ping me when the following segments appear. Thanks.

[TroutStalker]

Will do.

[jlogajan]

There are two kinds of conservatives. One kind is for smaller government. The other kind is for bigger government.

One kind wants the government to be leave everyone alone. The other kind wants to control everyone's behaviors.

The controlling types are usually "cultural conservatives." They aim to conserve the culture they desire, and their tool is the regulatory power of the state.

The will inhibit trade, regulate food, drug and drink, regulate clothing, regulate music, TV, art, regulate bedroom activities, regulate (favor) religions, regulate medical procedures, regulate lifestyle choices.

They believe they have infalible knowledge of how all people shall live their lives, and they will seize the power of the state to enforce that vision on all of us.

[TonyRo76]

Brilliant article! Great post, TS :)

[laotzu]

We have an obligation to rise above acting on animal instinct; to apply the moral judgement we were all blessed with to our actions. On that day, it will be how seriously we took that obligation that we are judged.

A conservative knows that excusing baser instinctual behavior in oneself; or worse, actively promoting/providing for it in others, will earn you a special place down front in hell(next to the French).

[MoralSense]

Roger Scruton was introduced to me by John Derbyshire. Scruton is apparently a church organist and philosopher. He is also mentioned prominently in "The Abolition of Britain," a marvelous book by Christopher Hitchens' brother, Peter.

[ex-snook]

"Yet another conservative journal has appeared recently, and the high profile of its editor -- Patrick Buchanan -- will lead to much speculation about what is really meant by the journal's name: "American Conservative." Maybe a British conservative can cast a little light on this. It is a tautology to say that a conservative is a person who wants to conserve things: the question is what things? "

In Freeperland things 'what to conserve' takes 3 forms.
(1) 'Conservatives' to conserve GOP first - Bush bots.
(2) 'Conservatives' to conserve Israel first - Sharon bots.
(3) 'Conservatives' to conserve America first- Buchanan bots.

Now I'll head for the foxhole.

[Dutchgirl]

Yes, please add me to your conservativism essay ping list.

BTW (old but true)

Old fishermen never die, they just smell that way!

[TroutStalker]

Added to the list. And you catch more fish with flies than with vinegar.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

This does not mean that conservatives are pessimists. In America, they are the only true optimists, since they are the only ones with a clear vision of the future and a clear determination to bring that future into being.

Ronald Wilson Reagan

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

first in an occasional series

This oughta be good!

Paul Gigot done himself proud today;
the whole editorial page is good reading!

[Snuffington]

A *ping* your way for a good article about conservatism.

[notpoliticallycorewrecked]

Add me too! I think that my name says it all.

NPC

[TroutStalker]

Done.

[docmcb]

Excellent essay. Please add me to the ping list.

[UB355]

I'd like to be added to the list

[KC Burke]

Thanks for the ping. I will comment as time allows.

[u-89]

Your ID of 3 types of conservatives is intersting but there are so many other brands I think the term should be scrapped as it is too confused and nobody knows who is who and what is what any more. In NYC there is a Pizza parlor called Ray's Pizza. Also there is Famous Ray's Pizza, Original Ray's Pizza, The Famous Original Ray's Pizza, Orignal Famous Ray's Pizza, etc, etc, etc and etc. How many conservatives today would classify as a conservative of the the 1930's or early post war period? How many conservatives want to go back to strict constitutional domestic AND foreign policy? How may conservatives want to conserve empire and entangling alliances? How many want to manage the welfare state better than the Dems? Conservatism has "evloved" the way "liberal" evolved from the 18th cent. to the 20th cent. Perhaps old time conservatives should let the neocons have the name and just called themselves something else like constitutionalist, traditionalist, or even libertarians or as a friend of mine says call ourselves losers, admit the game is lost and enjoy what years we have left as best we can. Of course people with children might not be so fatalistic and quick to throw in the towel.

[TroutStalker]

Ding.

[ex-snook]

"Perhaps old time conservatives should let the neocons have the name and just called themselves something else like constitutionalist, traditionalist, or even libertarians or as a friend of mine says call ourselves losers, admit the game is lost and enjoy what years we have left as best we can. "

LOL. You have said it best!

[wingnuts'nbolts]

Conservatives are not cut with a cookie cutter, but they all think with their logic and not with their emotions. For the last 20 years it has been "I feel", I feel your pain", never do the liberals say "I thinK" they only feel.
Women in general are part of the liberal touchy feely group, until life has taught them lessons they were not looking to learn.

[landerwy]

Thanks for the bump!

[cookiedough]

Thanks for the bump! I'll have to read and comment later tho, if I have anything to say. :-)

[KC Burke]

Sorry it has taken me a while to offer my thoughts on this. The article brings up the issue of the baggage carried by the meaning of the root word in the word associated with the brand of political and cultural temperment we call conservative.

That root, conserve carries with it all the related assumptions...the conotations and denotation of the root and extends those, warrented or not, to the label of "conservative."

As others have mentioned, critical and dishonorable terms often make the best political labels when lifted with relish by those they are meant to belittle. They endure more easily.

Tory, Whig and Democrat all had the disreputablness associated with their origin and the time they rose to prominance. Whig refered to the whey that poor scots drank as I understood it. Whiggish then began as a slur but was raised to good repute.

[TonyRo76]

Of course people with children might not be so fatalistic and quick to throw in the towel.

With that attitude we are doomed. Conservatives in the Ronald Reagan/Rush Limbaugh tradition are above all optimists, believing fervently (as I do) that America's best days are ahead!

The fatalist view sounds alot like John Corby—this annoying radio talk show host here in Columbus who's conservative, but I can't stand listening to him bcuz he's always so glum and b!tchy.

I swear one of these days, I'm gonna call in to his show and tell him, "Lighten up, Dude! You're dragging the whole city down into your bunker..."

Sheesh.

[ZULU]

"If conservatives favor the free market, it is not because market solutions are the most efficient ways of distributing resources -- although they are -- but because they compel people to bear the costs of their own actions, and to become responsible citizens."

Truer wrods were never spoken. The liberal elite WANT people to be absolved of the consequnces of their actions. If people are not capable of being responsible for the consequnces of their actions, they they, the liberal media and bureaocratic elite are jsutified in making decisions for them.

[u-89]

I understand your concern about keeping up morale but I do not believe reality can be avoided even if we wish it away. Limbaugh is cheery because it sells well. People like to feel upbeat and he offers hope (personally he reminds me of L. Ron Hubbard and dianetics). His optomistic attitude has made him wealthy and maybe he really does believe his own forecasts for a conservative future but some of us read the trends and extrapolate them into the future and do not seen a long life for liberty or western culture. If one defines conservatism to be anything the GOP is pushing on a given day and happinesss is derived from success of the GOP then that is a differnt matter than what I had addressed in my other post. However if one's optomism is for the longevity of liberty as our founding fathers conceived it then that optomism would be in vain. Old type conservative values can not co-exist with socialism and socialism leads to tryanny (read Hayak's Road To Serfdom). Also socialism and empire are doomed to failure as each has historically demonstrated over the ages. History is like a pendulum and it swings one way then the other and the cycle each way takes generations. We have been moving in the opposite direction from our founding principles for some time, just as those principles took generations to achieve. Historic trends are against us. Current events, current leadership, education, judicial mindset and any other factor one could mention indicate no hope for conservatives as defined in the traditional sense but if you want a "new conservatism" then be happy, we have that now.

Regarding Reagan, he was from a different era and socialism and the moral rot though estabilshed had yet to conquer all, there was still reason to hope at that time for a turn around, even if it was a long shot back in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Reagan won election 22 years ago and even then it was too late and a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. What did Reagan acheive in the long run? Government grew and continues to grow. Republicans are in charge and government grows. Just to show you what a failure he was in his battle government named a billion dollar plus federal boondoggle building after him in DC. The establishment had the last laugh. He was contained.

To use the driving towards a cliff analogy some think we can just turn the wheel from the direction the democrats were driving and all will be well, some believe the establishment republicans don't want to change direction, just slow down from 100 m.p.h. to 65. Some have hope we can change GOP leadership and things can be turned around. Then there are those who believe we are already over the cliff, in a free fall and it is merely time before we strike bottom. Whichever the case may be I say just enjoy the ride as best you can.

Cheers,