Political Philosophy: Arguments for Conservatism [Paperback]

Former Dutch prime minister Abraham Kuyper said that the difference between liberals and conservatives was ten years. If Scruton was read and adopted by Conservatives today we would see some clear blue water. He is a philosopher so do not expect an easy read but you will find a most rewarding one. Scruton starts with citizenship in a nation state as fundamental. He is no admirer of any sovereignty above the nation for that is where loyalty stops. Conservatism should mean the conserving of nature. Environmental concerns are not limited to the left. Animals are friends we can eat. Humans are not merely higher animals. Their lives must be protected from predatory apostles of euthanasia. Marriage is fundamental to the stability of society. It is more than a mere contract but I do not accept his high Anglican assertion that it is a sacrament. Scruton does not seem conversant with the Protestant covenantal view of marriage. He gives us a good critique of the cultural negativity of post-modernism. He enlightens one with his analysis of religion before and after the Enlightenment and rightly contends that religion must be studied not merely for its utility but for its claims to truth. His analysis of totalitarianism, particularly the power plan that is Marxism is masterful. "It is not the truth of Marxism that explains the willingness of intellectuals to believe it, but the power that it confers on intellectuals, in their attempts to control the world. And since, as Swift says, it is futile to reason someone out of a thing that he was not reasoned into, we can conclude that Marxism owes its remarkable power to survive every criticism to the fact that it is not a truth-directed but a power-directed system of thought.". Eurospeak is exposed as the current Newspeak though he omits the most fundamental of all Eurospeak, to hijack the Euro preface for the E.U. alone and to remove it from Europe as a whole. So I am labelled a Europhobe when what I fear is not Europe but the E.U. Evil is seen as more than humans being bad. Sexual evil is brilliantly analysed.Finally Eliot is critiqued as the literary apostle of Scruton's conservatism. This is a good book to encourage political thought beyond the realm of present day pragmatism.

As I write this review, the 2006 Conservative Party conference is drawing to a close. Some of our political pundits (in The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail) are bewailing the lack of substance, by which they mean detailed Conservative policies. Others (Daniel Finkelstein in The Times and Simon Jenkins in The Guardian) are arguing that substance is no longer necessary in a 21st century political party, only style. Substance? Style? Philosophy -- what the Conservatives need to do is to articulate their philosophy and Professor Scruton's book provides them admirably with the wherewithal to do so. He has succeeded in this not once, but twice. See The Meaning of Conservatism (1980). The Conservative Party should read him this time and take advantage of the gift he is offering them.

Scruton covers numerous themes to outline the conservative view, areas covered are interesting and varied, it is fortunately not merely a tick box outline of oft repeated conservative platitudes. Following on from this it must be recognised that Scruton seeks to emphasise broad conservative themes and principles, as opposed to offering policy solutions to current problems. However undoubtedly this was not his intention, and lack of specific recommendations does little to lesson the impact of the vast majority of chapters (however regarding the environment it is not completely clear how he plans to reconcile his understandable environmental concerns with his equally understandable antipathy of transnational institutions).

There are elements within this book which both appeal and question the right and left of British politics. Scruton's conservative philosophy would question the faith many conservatives now have in globalisation and in the unfettered operation of the free market, reminding them of the loss of sovereignty and socio-cultural cohesion that this would inevitably entail. Scruton also covers the issue of animal rights, marriage, abortion and euthanasia and postmodernism his comments in these areas raise important questions as to the future of politics in this country.