Conservatism, Past and Present: A Philosophical Introduction

In Conservatism, Past and Present: A Philosophical Introduction, Tristan J. Rogers argues that philosophical conservatism is a coherent and compelling set of historically rooted ideas about conserving and promoting the human good.

Part I: "Conservatism Past"

This section presents a history of conservative ideas, exploring key themes such as:

• The search for wisdom
• The limits of philosophy
• Reform in preference to revolution
• The relationship between authority and freedom
• Liberty as a living tradition

Major figures discussed include:

• Aristotle
• Saint Thomas Aquinas
• Edmund Burke
• G.W.F. Hegel
• Roger Scruton

Part II: "Conservatism Present"

In this section, Rogers applies philosophical conservatism to contemporary conservative politics, addressing critical issues such as:

• Nationalism
• Populism
• The family
• Education
• Responsibility

Rogers demonstrates that conservatism has been defined differently across time, including:

• As a loose set of connected ideas reacting against the French Revolution
• As a kind of disposition or instinct in favor of the status quo
• More recently, as any ideas opposed to the political left

However, he also allows a set of guiding questions to shape his argument for conservatism’s merits:

• What is conservatism?
• Is it a coherent and attractive philosophy?
• What are conservatives for?
• How is today’s conservatism related to its past?

In answering these questions, Rogers paints a compelling and coherent picture of an aligned and attractive set of ideas.