What Is Conservatism?

[mystery-ak]

February 20, 2020
What Is Conservatism?
By Andrew Cunningham

What is conservatism?  It is a question that could be answered a thousand different ways.  On the modern American political scene, conservatism is often portrayed as outdated, offensive, and inconsistent with the rapidly changing times.

Yet, at its core, conservatism is still a practical, applicable, and logical political philosophy — a philosophy deeply concerned with maintaining what is good in society while rejecting dangerous and idiotic pipe dreams from the Left.

The most convincing argument for conservatism was presented by 20th-century British philosopher Michael Oakeshott.  Oakeshott presents a conservatism that seems easy to accept and understand.  The basis of Oakeshott's argument for conservatism is the idea of familiarity.

more
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/02/what_is_conservatism.html

[Bigun]

Conservatism = 100% fidelity to the Constitution.

[truth_seeker]

I knew all along, it would be "Oakeshott"

wiki says

"In his retirement he retreated to live quietly in a country cottage in Langton Matravers in Dorset with his third wife. He was divorced twice and had numerous affairs, some of them with wives of his students and colleagues, and even with a girlfriend of his son Simon.[7] He also had a son born out of wedlock, named Sebastian."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Oakeshott

[Maj. Bill Martin]

That certainly describes one type of conservatism, and one I wouldn't support.  It's basically a caricature of conservatives as being closed-minded, and afraid of change.  That's the way the Tories thought during the American Revolution.  They despised the "radicals" who wanted independence precisely because they saw it as too disruptive of the current order, and who preferred negotiation with Britain to the radicalism of revolution.

Oakeshott himself -- who was British, not American -- was not a fan of the American emphasis on core principles/philosophy.  Stability, to him, is the highest virtue.

Heads.  Pikes.  That's how you obtain and keep liberty.

[Absalom]

Another brainless journo on the loose.
Principled Conservatism, birthed by the Natural Law, was discussed by Ancients, among them
Sargon, Hammurabi and most critically, Plato in his "Republic".
It's concepts are timeless and unchanging, as are all truisms, despite the blathering of some.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Plato was a fascist unfit to tie Aristotle's shoes.  Or sandals.

If they would have had laces, anyway.

[Absalom]

Plato was a fascist unfit to tie Aristotle's shoes.  Or sandals.
If they would have had laces, anyway.

----------------------------------
The greatest minds of Scholasticism, among them, Aquinas, Duns Scotus and
Ockham, revered Plato as one of the greatest minds ever created by the Almighty.
Labeling Plato a fascist is a slander that reeks of willful ignorance and gross stupidity.

[truth_seeker]

----------------------------------
The greatest minds of Scholasticism, among them, Aquinas, Duns Scotus and
Ockham, revered Plato as one of the greatest minds ever created by the Almighty.
Labeling Plato a fascist is a slander that reeks of willful ignorance and gross stupidity.

IOW opinions different than your own, depict stupidity?

[Absalom]

A reflection on Plato, whose teacher was Socrates.
In his 'Republic', Plato identified and categorized the Soul, as the non-material and immortal
essence of Man, giving him his unique individuality, permitting him to reason and create.
Later in the 12th century, Bernard de Chartres, a neo-Platonist philosopher and contemporary
of Aquinas, asserted; " We are mere dwarves who only see as far as we do, because we can
perch on the massive shoulders of the Giants of Antiquity whose wisdom proceeded us. "
Imagine how Bernard de Chartres would describe our current world wide posse of leadership assholery, looking frantically for attention from plain people ?????????????
 
 

[tarheelboy]

Anyone have good sources for debunking “conservative nationalism” leading to fascism?

[Fishrrman]

These days, I prefer the designation "Traditional-minded Americans" to "conservatives".

Conservatism -- at least the recent iteration of it -- seems to be headed towards a political dead-end, with relatively (very?) few still willing to preach it as well as practice it.

I myself prefer the old-time, troglodyte pre-William F. Buckley paleo-conservatives to his "sanitized" kind. Of course the old-timers harbored numerous beliefs that have, shall we say, fallen out-of-fashion and would be denigrated right here in this forum...

[roamer_1]

Anyone have good sources for debunking “conservative nationalism” leading to fascism?

You mean other than it never having happened in the entire history of the world?

[Snarknado]

Plato was a fascist unfit to tie Aristotle's shoes.  Or sandals.

If they would have had laces, anyway.

Maybe his time could have been put to better use inventing velcro...