For time to time, I want to use this space to make people aware of books worth reading. Last fall, I ordered a book called Conservatism Revisted by Peter Vierek. Even though it was written in 1949 and revised in the mid-1960s, it's an incredibly timely book. Viereck tells the story of a movement that had lost its way and needed to get back on the straight and narrow path. Here's a snippet of a review by an Amazon customer...
"In this book he explains his philosophy. Conservatism should be a moderate form of traditionalism. Opposing the extremes of the left as well as the right of the political spectrum in its admiration for the institutions that build America and preserved it from decaying into anarchy and chaos. Those institutions are the only way of preventing modern man of becoming a caveman again. They are threatened by totalitarianism that is trying to replace tradition by a abstract blueprint serving the selfish impulses of men. It should be the task of conservatives, liberals and the socialist parties in Europe to combat this Rousseauian dream."
When you look at the modern GOP these days, you can see that they are busy at helping us become cavemen once again. If you want to see a conservatism that is more Burkean than Darwinian, please pick up this book. I would suggest getting it used since it is WAY cheaper than new. You can order it by clicking the title above.
Posted by Dennis at July 10, 2004 02:49 PM