The Wright Perspective: 3 Rs of Conservatism: Right, Reason and Reality
One of the most frequent criticisms leveled at Conservatives is that we lack ideals or guiding principles — that we are merely men of pragmatic character, asking not what is ideal in a perfect world, but only what is possible in an imperfect world.
Indeed, many a conservative quotes (with apparent favor) that conservatism “is not an ideology but a disposition.” By this they mean that we conservatives are disposed in favor of calmness, reason, civil order, civility, experiential knowledge gained painfully through centuries of trial and error, piety toward ancestors, reverence toward Heaven. Conservatism, by this definition, is merely a mistrust of ideological theory and a trust of precedent. Conservatism is disbelief in Utopia.
The criticism is not true; it is not close to truth; it is the diametric opposite of truth. The untruth seems plausible only when words are used for their emotional connotations, but never defined.
In truth, so-called Conservatives are revolutionaries who believe in the principles of the American Revolution: that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and property; that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men; and when any government becomes destructive of those rights, it is the duty of patriots to rise up in arms and overthrow it, and create such institutions anew which will return their native rights to them.
They have faith in God.
The so-called Liberals or Radicals or Progressives or Morlocks or Whateverthefudge they are calling themselves this month are revolutionaries who believe in the principles of the French Revolution: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité.
For those of you who do not speak French: Liberté means all men are slaves of the frenzied mob; Egalité means success is punished and failure rewarded until all outcomes are equal and all efforts are vain; Fraternité means all “comrade citizens” are wards of the Napoleon, the Fuhrer, the Lightworker, or whatever they are calling the Glorious Leader this month.
They have faith in Guillotines.
Read the rest here: http://www.everyjoe.com/2014/05/21/politics/3-rs-conservatism-right-reason-reality/
About John C Wright
John C. Wright is a practicing philosopher, a retired attorney, newspaperman, and newspaper editor, and a published author of science fiction. Once a Houyhnhnm, he was expelled from the august ranks of purely rational beings when he fell in love; but retains an honorary title.
