Conservatism: An Invitation to the Great Tradition

by Roger Scruton Narrated by Mark Meadows

Overview

This program includes an introduction read by the author.

A brief, magisterial audiobook introduction to the conservative tradition by one of Britain's leading intellectuals.

In Conservatism, Roger Scruton offers listeners an invitation into the world of political philosophy by explaining the history and evolution of the conservative movement over the centuries. With the clarity and authority of a gifted teacher, he discusses the ideology's perspective on civil society, the rule of law, freedom, morality, property, rights, and the role of the state. In a time when many claim that conservatives lack a unified intellectual belief system, this book makes a very strong case to the contrary, one that politically-minded listeners will find compelling and refreshing.

Scruton analyzes the origins and development of conservatism through the philosophies and thoughts of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, Edmund Burke, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Friedrich Hayek, and Milton Friedman, among others. He shows how conservative ideas have influenced the political sector through the careers of a diverse cast of politicians, such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Disraeli, Calvin Coolidge, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. He also takes a close look at the changing relationship between conservative politics, capitalism, and free markets in both the UK and the US.

This clear, incisive guide is essential listening for anyone wishing to understand Western politics and policies, now and over the last three centuries.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

04/30/2018
Citing the tumultuous state of world affairs as a reason to look backward, philosopher Scruton thoughtfully explores the underpinnings and evolution of conservatism in this concise work of political philosophy. He identifies values central to and issues formative of the conservative worldview in different eras; conservatism has defined itself at various times, he says, in opposition to such forces as individualism and “political correctness,” economic socialism, populism, and militant Islamism. Tracing contemporary conservatism back to its roots, he begins with the English Enlightenment thinkers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, connecting them to Edmund Burke and Adam Smith, whose writings he asserts formed the basis of modern conservatism. He briefly summarizes the contributions of major 19th-century German and French conservative thinkers— positing that Joseph de Maistre, François-René Chateaubriand, and Alexis de Tocqueville “all reject some aspect of the Enlightenment,” and 20th-century “cultural conservatism” focused on preserving and restoring to cultural importance the recently dethroned traditional centers of rural life (in Britain, the Anglican Church; in the U.S., agrarianism). He also discusses conservatism’s coming to define itself in opposition to socialism in the 20th century. He fails, however, to delve into conservatism’s current status, with Donald Trump getting nary a mention. Nevertheless, this is a coolheaded, reasonable survey of conservative thought. (June)

From the Publisher

"Conservatism, as Roger Scruton reminds us, was founded during the 18th-century Enlightenment…Society is best seen as a social contract, these Enlightenment thinkers said. Free individuals get together and contract with one another to create order. Conservatives said we agree with the general effort but think you’ve got human nature wrong.” —David Brooks, New York Times

"[Conservatism] buoyed my spirits, and helped me regain my bearings. Reading it, for me, was like feeling an unexpectedly cool, dry breeze on a stiflingly humid day." —Andrew Sullivan, New York Magazine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171983369
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	06/19/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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