Classic Lessons of Conservatism

The books listed in this section of the Online Classroom reveal the history, development, and philosophy of conservatism.  We offer a synopsis of each of the books to enable the reader to sample our views of self-governance.  Simply click on the author or title in the list below to be taken directly to the synopsis.

By studying these volumes one passes through the basic tenets of governance to an in-depth investigation of the complexities of modern democracy. This allows the reader to look at the relationship between the individual and society, with particular reference to the reciprocal rights and obligations of each.

Around the time of the American Bicentennial a national newsmagazine published a letter to the editor commenting on the various festivities and celebrations extolling liberty. The writer was a newly minted U.S. citizen, a Russian immigrant, who simply noted that while studying for his citizenship test he was initially curious and then somewhat surprised to learn that there is a Bill of Rights appended to the Constitution, but no Bill of Responsibilities.

There are responsibilities, of course, but they are not codified. And perhaps that is a great failing in the design of our system. We emphasize freedom without making sure everyone understands that their freedom ends where the next person’s begins, that their freedom also encompasses duties. If we focused on the equation between responsibility and liberty there might be less misunderstanding among us—and far less need for government. The synopses we present explore all aspects of this equation. However, it must also be noted that to understand the totality of both freedom and duty in a complex and shrinking world discovering the books themselves, not just our condensed overview, is necessary.

With each review there is a short biography of the author so we can place that person in time and space. On our sister site, www.FirstPrinciples.US you will find an introduction that goes to some length to define the topics, the issues, and some of the history of conservatism. Finally, we offer the reader the ability to e-mail the editors, editor.firstprinciples@gmail.com, in order to inquire, comment, speculate or hypothesize.

From here it is up to the student to determine if these fundamentals and their development, which is intricately followed from the awakenings of freedom in the 17th century to the depths of totalitarianism in the twentieth, resonate in such a fashion as to bring the observer to his feet, to start one’s mind expanding, comparing, imagining and to carry the torch of both freedom and its opportunities and responsibilities on to the next generation.

To aid the reader the books we present are divided into four sections and are ordered from basic to advanced within each group. The books in Section I are essential to a comprehensive philosophical investigation of conservatism, also known, generally, as classical liberalism. Books in Section II are more or less current in the broad sense and deal in the practical application of philosophy to actual governance. Books in Section III are slightly more complex, but their substance outweighs their intricacies, thus time spent with these volumes is well-worth the effort. Books in Section IV look to the future.  They investigate various aspects of the open society that coming generations face.

Most of the books we summarize are uncomplicated, but they do require conscious intellectual effort. The organization of the synopses themselves reflects logical groupings based on subject matter, the era in which each volume was written, the level of difficulty, historical significance, etc. Within each list the books are offered in a general sequence in which they should be read. Obviously the placement of any book is discretionary, thus skipping around among the selections can be a matter of personal appeal and choice.

All of the synopses listed in this section are collected in our new book: First Principles: Self-governance in an Open Society.  This title is available from most online booksellers.