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How to be a conservative Paperback – April 23, 2019

by Roger Scruton (Author)

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Renowned philosopher Roger Scruton draws on his own experience as a counter-culture presence in public life to explain conservatism in a skeptical age.

With soft left-liberalism as the dominant force in Western politics, what can conservatives now contribute to public debate that will not be dismissed as pure nostalgia? In this highly personal and witty book, renowned philosopher Roger Scruton explains how to live as a conservative in spite of the pressures to exist otherwise. Drawing on his own experience as a counter-cultural presence in public life, Scruton argues that while humanity might survive in the absence of the conservative outlook, it certainly won't flourish. How to be a Conservative is not only a blueprint for modern conservatism. It is a heartfelt appeal on behalf of old fashioned decencies and values, which are the bedrock of our weakened, but still enduring civilization.

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“Roger Scruton is that rarest of things: a first-rate philosopher who actually has a philosophy … one of the few intellectually authoritative voices in modern British conservatism” ―Jesse Norman, Spectator

“Roger Scruton is one of our great men of speculation” ―David Willetts, Standpoint

“A persuasive and poignant little book” ―Ferdinand Mount, The Oldie

“Elegantly written and thought-provoking ... I loved this book, especially the way it seems to be aimed as much at the heart as the mind. On both it has a cleansing effect , the equivalent of eating a tart lemon sorbet” ―Country Life

About the Author

Sir Roger Scruton is widely seen as one of the greatest conservative thinkers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and a polymath who wrote a wide array of fiction, non-fiction and reviews. He was the author of over fifty books.

A graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge, Scruton was Professor of Aesthetics at Birkbeck College, London; University Professor at Boston University, and a visiting professor at Oxford University. He was one of the founders of the Salisbury Review, contributed regularly to The Spectator, The Times and the Daily Telegraph and was for many years wine critic for the New Statesman. Sir Roger Scruton died in January 2020.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Continuum
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 23, 2019
Edition ‏ : ‎ New
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 147296523X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1472965233
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.65 x 8.45 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #108,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #41 in Social Philosophy
- #131 in Political Philosophy (Books)
- #146 in Political Conservatism & Liberalism
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753 ratings

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Roger Scruton

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Roger Vernon Scruton, FBA, FRSL (/ˈskruːtən/; born 27 February 1944) is an English philosopher who specialises in aesthetics. He has written over thirty books, including Art and Imagination (1974), The Meaning of Conservatism (1980), Sexual Desire (1986), The Philosopher on Dover Beach (1990), The Aesthetics of Music (1997), Beauty (2009), How to Think Seriously About the Planet: The Case for an Environmental Conservatism (2012), Our Church (2012), and How to be a Conservative (2014). Scruton has also written several novels and a number of general textbooks on philosophy and culture, and he has composed two operas.

Scruton was a lecturer and professor of aesthetics at Birkbeck College, London, from 1971 to 1992. Since 1992, he has held part-time positions at Boston University, the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., and the University of St Andrews. In 1982 he helped found The Salisbury Review, a conservative political journal, which he edited for 18 years, and he founded the Claridge Press in 1987. Scruton sits on the editorial board of the British Journal of Aesthetics, and is a Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Scruton has been called "the man who, more than any other, has defined what conservatism is" by British MEP Daniel Hannan and "England’s most accomplished conservative since Edmund Burke" by The Weekly Standard.

Outside his career as a philosopher and writer, Scruton was involved in the establishment of underground universities and academic networks in Soviet-controlled Central Europe during the Cold War, and he has received a number of awards for his work in this area.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Pete Helme (http://www.rogerscruton.com) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Customers find the book to be an excellent introduction to conservative philosophy, with one review noting it's written by one of Britain's most important political philosophers. The writing style receives praise as a masterpiece, with one customer highlighting its easy-to-understand approach.

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Insight Readability Writing style

19 customers mention "Insight"18 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights into conservative philosophy, describing it as an excellent introduction to the subject, with one customer noting it is written by one of the most important British political philosophers.

"A sober, reflective,convincing and articulately argued defence of conservative values, clearly distinguishing where and how conservatism differs..." Read more

"...position of the politician or a polemic, this is a conservatism of a man who has thought deeply...." Read more

"...entails or stands for, this book was valuable as it fleshed out my idea of conservatism...." Read more

"...He discusses the central role of families and why they are needed and the dangers of over reliance on government and its programs to assume the..." Read more

11 customers mention "Readability"10 positive1 negative

Customers find the book readable.

"Great read! Scruton is a brilliant apologist for the cause of conserving the Union, the U.S. Constitution, and freedom...." Read more

"...It is well with reading and pondering." Read more

"...A fantastic read leaving much to contemplate and act on." Read more

"Incredible book!" Read more

6 customers mention "Writing style"6 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, describing it as a masterpiece and noting its easy-to-understand presentation.

"...The author words ideas better than I ever could. I was going to pass it on, but I have to reread it." Read more

"Roger Scruton's words ring so true in this masterpiece of writing. It makes his passing all the more tragic. Sadly, we shall not see his mind again." Read more

"...Scruton has a clear and easy-to-understand style. Recommend the book." Read more

"Superb articulation of what it means to be a conservative, and why it matters. I learned a lot. Beautiful prose at times too." Read more

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Chris Maska
What to conserve in time of loss.
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase

Not the conservative position of the politician or a polemic, this is a conservatism of a man who has thought deeply. There is truth in other positions that needs to be recognized. This does not make one less than a conservative.

The theme of home is both a prominent conservative theme and a theme that will find resonance with many who do not claim to be conservative. The theme of beauty is closely related. Both have something to offer moderns who live in world dominated by economics, ideology, modern philosophy.

There is much to agree with and some to disagree with in this book. It squarely addresses the real issues and problems of the modern world. It is well with reading and pondering.

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Aleksander Mortensen
Worth it
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I'm no philosopher, great thinker, or writer, but I'd like to listen to many such people, which is why I read this book.
I don't regularly write reviews, and don't know if I have anything particular to add. As a relatively new conservative, without complete understanding of what conservatism entails or stands for, this book was valuable as it fleshed out my idea of conservatism. It also quite possibly provided some information I'm likely to point out in discussions or as a retort to leftist talking points, as well as bringing into notice a few other books I might read in the future.

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Kindle Customer
Good, but not what I had hoped for.
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2024
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I really was expecting a treatise on why conservatism matters and how it addresses the other ideological movements and refutes them. I was surprised to note that he embraced the ideals espoused by the other movements and explained why in fact they are rooted in conservative thought. I was disappointed with his seeming poor argument for Christianity being the underlining reason for western culture and any movement to conserve it. IMO

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Kindle Customer
Keep what you can
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2016
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Roger Scruton makes a convincing argument for understanding the value of taking conservative positions on preserving our traditional institutions. He discusses the central role of families and why they are needed and the dangers of over reliance on government and its programs to assume the functions that traditional families have performed. He also see the danger of replacing the traditional role of charitable, religious and civic institutions with governmental programs. Over dependence on a central government will lead to changes that may forever destroy the foundations that our current culture and society depended on, leaving citizen only with what the government rulers dictate without any powerful independent institutions to challenge them. In addition Roger Scruton makes a convincing argument for preserving our past, both with public lands and city and town preservation. He has little desire to see centuries of communal institutional developments destroyed and replaced with untested and perhaps seriously flawed replacements

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19 people found this helpful

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Anita Leigh Novey
I read it on a West Coast flight. Oooh.
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2020
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
So much wonderful text, I wanted to share 5 times a chapter. The author words ideas better than I ever could. I was going to pass it on, but I have to reread it.

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Whistle Pig
Great read! Scruton is a brilliant apologist for the ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great read! Scruton is a brilliant apologist for the cause of conserving the Union, the U.S. Constitution, and freedom.

While only a few brave left-wingers would dare or care to read this, it is a worthwhile tool for those who know the truth, and might remain unclear about what to do about it and how to move forward in that truth.

Watch Scruton's interview on the Hoover Institution's youtube sight. He's weathered on the outside, but his bright light shines through.

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20 people found this helpful

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Marcos Carvalho
Great read.
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2019
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I'm still more of a libertarian than a conservative but I learned a lot from this book. Sir Roger Scruton is the most important British political philosopher since Edmund Burke, the two also happen to have a lot in common. Scruton's voice is uniquely suited to our times, his warnings should be heeded lest we lose all our freedoms that our ancestors sacrificed so much to secure.

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Amo Liberas
Socialism
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
He gives a timely analysis of Soviet Socialism vs National Socialism. Soviet Socialism was based on cast: send the bourgeois to Siberia. National Socialism was based on race: send the Jews to the death camps. He shows that both are examples of totalitarianism. Today National Socialism is identified as the evil that it is. However, Soviet Socialism, responsible for far more deaths, has never been condemned by the left.

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Marius Ghica
Great exposition of a great philosophy of life
Reviewed in France on August 30, 2015
Format: KindleVerified Purchase

The general perception (at least what I have experienced) with regard to conservatism is that it favors the corporations, it works to maintain inequalities and is generally an ideology rather against the progress.
Roger Scruton's book demolishes these cliches by exposing not an ideology, but a philosophy of life which is profoundly humaine, promoting eternal values of the Western, judeo-christian world, which have been the bases of its evolution.
The conservatism is therefore not about maintaining a status quo of a certain state of affaires, but about preserving those values which take into account the features of the human nature and are the real building blocks of its evolution.
Scruton touches also several topics of actuality through the eyes of this philosophical framework and analyses them without political correctness.
Whether your own convictions are close to his or not, reading this book will compel you thinks of them more profoundly.

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Murray A. Sondergard
Fabulous Tour of Conservatism
Reviewed in Canada on May 20, 2024
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I loved this book. The clarity of the author's thought process is remarkable. It's a great lesson in what conservatism means and what it stands for. Many people who call themselves conservative would benefit from reading this book.

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Mooncarrot the Hare
Have I Become Your Enemy Because I Tell You the Truth?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2014
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
It would not be surprising if a conservative writer wrote about the truth in conservatism. And this is indeed one of the chapter headings of Professor Scruton's book.

It would be surprising, however, for such a conservative writer to write about the truth in socialism. Nevertheless, this is the title of one of the other chapters in his book.

One possible misunderstanding needs to be set straight before continuing. To judge this book by its cover it might be thought that Scruton's purpose is to tell the reader simply how to be a good member of the Conservative Party. The content of his book would benefit the political expression of the conservatively-minded, but it is aimed at a far wider audience, and with a purpose that goes far beyond party politics.

After summing up his own personal journey to the position from which he writes, Scruton considers home as the starting point for any journey. He then continues by describing the truth in nationalism; the truth in capitalism; the truth in liberalism; the truth in multiculturalism; the truth in environmentalism; and the truth in internationalism.

In order to see the truth it is also necessary to see the falsehood. Given this antithesis or polarity, each chapter could equally well be titled respectively: `The falsehood in conservatism; socialism; nationalism; capitalism; liberalism; multiculturalism; environmentalism; internationalism'.

If one reads him aright he is saying that all those who believe in any of the -isms that form the subject of each chapter actually have common ground with each other. Realising that there is this common ground is vital to provide the opportunity to begin to address the problems he discusses that have arisen in our recent, and shared, past.

Scruton makes an important distinction in his discussion of the -isms, these dogmas that have been adopted by Britain's current ruling caste. He does not write about the truth OF conservatism; or the falsehood OF socialism. Such dogmatic claims are not part of what is really his very humble offering. Scruton is courteous and conciliatory to his opponents. Indeed, each chapter is a model of inclusiveness. (He is also a very brave and resourceful man, having faced down the secret police in Czechoslovakia).

Scruton, however, is no ordinary conservative, if one may use `ordinary' without detracting from anything that either he or any other conservative believes by the term. He is able to present an accessible analysis of what other conservatives can only feel instinctively. Even so, he is especially critical of some of the political and economic ideas that have become associated with the political expression of conservatism. In this book he also shows that the caricatures that are held about conservatives are without foundation. This is his third attempt at doing so.

At the heart of Scruton's book is an appeal for understanding. Even more than that, Scruton argues that understanding is a vital necessity before we are able to pursue any of the hopes and aspirations that we may have for ourselves and our children.

He writes of the nature of friendship. As traditionally conceived, he says, friendship is a route to self-knowledge. In the light of this he considers the effects of the internet on human relationships. In the first paragraph on page 46 the reader will find the most concise description of the actual working of the socialist state.

Scruton points out that bound into the fabric of any political discussion are the terms used. These, such as 'socialism' and 'capitalism', are jargon that were invented more than a century ago. They are, he argues, part of obsolete theories, and relate to circumstances that no longer exist. They must be recognised as such, and any discussion must 'look at the world afresh, using the natural language of human relations'.

This is the first part of the necessary understanding: where we are in the society that has been forged by others for us to live in, and what it has done to us.

The second part of the understanding that is necessary is something that is close to the author's heart - education. Parents are passionate in wanting a good education for their child. However, what constitutes good education needs to be clearly defined. Scruton describes the purpose of education as it has been refashioned in Britain by the current political class. As long ago as the early 1960's C S Lewis poured scorn on the educational objective that was then being proposed, that all children should emerge from schooling with 'parity of esteem' (see his short story, Screwtape Proposes a Toast). Scruton shows why this objective, now known under a different formula of words, fails children of whatever background and natural ability.

One of the concluding chapters is entitled 'Practical Matters'. This is Scruton's overriding objective in all he argues. He begins by defining the default position of human beings in respect of tolerance and freedom. He then develops this into an argument for civil society, explaining why civil society is even more important than democracy as this is popularly conceived.

Why be a conservative?

This could have been the title of this book. In each chapter Scruton gives many answers to this question. These answers turn out to be something that is the common possession of all and in the common interest of all.

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Jasper van Baars
Insightful, short too the point and must read
Reviewed in Germany on May 20, 2019
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Scruton's pocket reference regarding the position of conservatives in this day and age is simple delightfully understandable and too the point, if you are wondering about your own position this is a must read and short as it is well worth anyone's time.

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Hampton Dewdrop
Essential introduction to Scruton.
Reviewed in Spain on June 29, 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
An essential work on small 'c' conservatism.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great exposition of a great philosophy of life

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Tour of Conservatism

5.0 out of 5 stars Have I Become Your Enemy Because I Tell You the Truth?

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, short too the point and must read

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential introduction to Scruton.

Great exposition of a great philosophy of life

Fabulous Tour of Conservatism

Have I Become Your Enemy Because I Tell You the Truth?

Insightful, short too the point and must read

Essential introduction to Scruton.