Conservatism: An Anthology of Social and Political Thought From David Hume to the Present 1st Edition

by Jerry Z. Muller (Editor)

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ISBN-13: 978-0691037127

ISBN-10: 0691037124

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At a time when the label "conservative" is indiscriminately applied to fundamentalists, populists, libertarians, fascists, and the advocates of one or another orthodoxy, this volume offers a nuanced and historically informed presentation of what is distinctive about conservative social and political thought. It is an anthology with an argument, locating the origins of modern conservatism within the Enlightenment and distinguishing between conservatism and orthodoxy. Bringing together important specimens of European and American conservative social and political analysis from the mid-eighteenth century through our own day, Conservatism demonstrates that while the particular institutions that conservatives have sought to conserve have varied, there are characteristic features of conservative argument that recur over time and across national borders.

The book proceeds chronologically through the following sections: Enlightenment Conservatism (David Hume, Edmund Burke, and Justus Möser), The Critique of Revolution (Burke, Louis de Bonald, Joseph de Maistre, James Madison, and Rufus Choate), Authority (Matthew Arnold, James Fitzjames Stephen), Inequality (W. H. Mallock, Joseph A. Schumpeter), The Critique of Good Intentions (William Graham Sumner), War (T. E. Hulme), Democracy (Carl Schmitt, Schumpeter), The Limits of Rationalism (Winston Churchill, Michael Oakeshott, Friedrich Hayek, Edward Banfield), The Critique of Social and Cultural Emancipation (Irving Kristol, Peter Berger and Richard John Neuhaus, Hermann Lübbe), and Between Social Science and Cultural Criticism (Arnold Gehlen, Philip Rieff). The book contains an afterword on recurrent tensions and dilemmas of conservative thought.

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Upon reading this impressive and long-overdue anthology, other scholars are likely to exclaim, "Why didn't I think of this?" Ranging from Hume and Edmund Burke to Irving Kristol and David Rieff, the collection exhibits several strengths: the careful and accurate distinction drawn between conservatism and orthodoxy; the treatment of conservatism from the perspective of public policy prescriptions; the historical, philosophical, and social scientific framework within which the author places modern conservatism; and an excellent introduction and afterword. Editor Muller (hist., Catholic Univ. of America) argues persuasively that conservative social and political thought emerges essentially as a response to challenges to existing institutions and attempts, therefore, to refute such challenges. Future works on conservatism may replace this volume, but they will not be able to ignore it. Highly recommended for all libraries.?Stephen Kent Shaw, Northwest Nazarene Coll., Nampa, Id.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Muller's book is a bracing commentary on the present-day condition of American conservatism, and a welcome invitation to rethink what conservatives ought to be conserving."---Charles R. Kesler, Wilson Quarterly

"A smartly designed anthology. Muller is a capable teacher. . . . He brings a freshness to old standbys like Edmund Burke and James Madison and unearths fascinating conservative passages from Winston Churchill and several lesser lights. The readings may be the meat of the book, but Muller's take on conservatism is its lifeblood. His afterword. . . is nothing short of brilliant. . . . Muller's exciting anthology effectively shows that conservatism, for all its apparent stodginess, is remarkably alive and organic."---John J. Miller, The Detroit News

"Jerry Muller's thoughtful primer on conservative thinkers from David Hume to the present day is timely. If the dispossessed of the right feel the need to go back to basics, they could do worse than start here. . . . This anthology, with Muller's useful introductions to the work of two dozen or so political theorists, reminds us that conservatism has always been the most amorphous of political philosophies."---Philip Stephens, Financial Times

"Mr. Miller has covered the bases well, giving a good accounting of the breadth and variety of the subject he anthologizes."---Stephen Goode, Washington Times

"A richly diverse, intelligently designed, and helpfully annotated introduction to the world of conservative theory. No comparable collection that I know of is as broad and unparochial as this one."―Thomas Pangle, University of Toronto

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Product details

Hardcover: 450 pages
Publisher: Princeton University Press; 1st edition (May 5, 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0691037124
ISBN-13: 978-0691037127
Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 1.5 x 10 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 2 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1229 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Political Science > Political History
- #2195 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Ideologies & Doctrines > Conservatism & Liberalism
- #2497 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Political

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applewoodTop Contributor: Blues Music

Conservatism - A legacy both simple and complex

June 20, 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Prof. Muller begins his book with this preface; "This book is published at a time when the word "conservative" is on many lips - whether as a label of honor or as an epithet. Yet there is a remarkable discrepancy between the contemporary impact of conservatism and the attention devoted to its history.... At a time when the label "conservative" is promiscuously applied to fundamentalists, populists, libertarians, fascists, and the advocates of one or another orthodoxy, this book may help readers to acquire a clearer and more nuanced sense of what is distinctive about conservative social and political thought."

As Edmund Burke pointed out over 200 years ago, conservative thinking is based in a traditional view which respects the accumulated (practical) wisdom of the ages, and rejects the supremacy of rational/intellectual/abstract reasoning. In his words, such traditions (can often soften our harsh reality and), "throw a decent veil over the weak and dishonorable circumstances of our Nature." Another highly influential thinker, Friedrich Hayek, expressed this in terms of the conservative values of a free market and the rule of law which makes it possible, that are the unintended (spontaneous) results of human action and not rational deliberation. So, in a nutshell, conservative thought is about valuing historical experience over abstract theory. Yet, there is still plenty of confusion and controversy (and inconsistency) in how this is applied. After all such a term, based in accumulated wisdom, is sometimes best applied in retrospect, and even then is more often a conglomerate of pre-rational feelings, impulses and solutions. No wonder so-called liberals (and central planners) figured they could improve on it with a little abstract reasoning!

This anthology includes the writings of 24 conservative thinkers from the mid 18th, to the late 20th Century, in 33 different excerpts. And these selections are varied and detailed enough to be helpful in covering a wide range of conservative thinking, but it is the brief introductory essays by Muller to each of these selections which I found most helpful. Besides providing a quick and neat definition of conservatism, Muller also shows just how ambivalent people often are about wearing such a label. Many of these thinkers didn't consider themselves "conservatives", or like Churchill accepted or abandoned the association depending on political expedience (but not personal fickleness). And some just changed their views over time. After all it was Churchill who said, "Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains."

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LAWRENCE R. MELODY

August 17, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

It was just a reprint of an old book.

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