I sense intellectual deterioration of the once-vital conservative movement in the United States. As I shall explain, this may be a testament to its success.
Until the late 1960s (when I was in my late twenties), I was barely conscious of the existence of a conservative movement. It was obscure and marginal, symbolized by figures like Barry Goldwater (slaughtered by Lyndon Johnson in the 1964 presidential election), Ayn Rand, Russell Kirk, and William Buckley--figures who had no appeal for me. More powerful conservative thinkers, such as Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek, and other distinguished conservative economists, such as George Stigler, were on the scene, but were not well known outside the economics profession.
Read on...
Richard Posner provides an interesting overview of the conservative movement. The movement may be at its lowest ebb, but the consequences of 30 years of conservatism will dominate society for years to come. Peacenik is looking for the resurgence of conservatism. Will societal collapse fuel it? Who is going to get blamed for current depression? Common sense says the conservatives should be blamed. Peacenik has Peacenik's doubts.
Until the late 1960s (when I was in my late twenties), I was barely conscious of the existence of a conservative movement. It was obscure and marginal, symbolized by figures like Barry Goldwater (slaughtered by Lyndon Johnson in the 1964 presidential election), Ayn Rand, Russell Kirk, and William Buckley--figures who had no appeal for me. More powerful conservative thinkers, such as Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek, and other distinguished conservative economists, such as George Stigler, were on the scene, but were not well known outside the economics profession.
Read on...
Richard Posner provides an interesting overview of the conservative movement. The movement may be at its lowest ebb, but the consequences of 30 years of conservatism will dominate society for years to come. Peacenik is looking for the resurgence of conservatism. Will societal collapse fuel it? Who is going to get blamed for current depression? Common sense says the conservatives should be blamed. Peacenik has Peacenik's doubts.
