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Three Conservative Thinkers Every Student Should Know
October 1, 2018
Contrary to popular opinion, conservatism contains a wildly diverse range of thinkers, from traditionalists to classical liberals to “fusionists” and libertarians. The following three thinkers may not be household names, but they were devoted to promoting freedom in the United States. The conservative movement in America would never have happened without them.
Frank Meyer
About
Frank Meyer (1909-1972) was a longtime editor at National Review and the author of In Defense of Freedom, among other books. He was the leading proponent of “fusionism,” which emphasized the link between the principles of freedom and moral order.
Read how he went from being a communist to a Reagan Conservative.
Quotes
“In fact, conservatism is not a body of principles, but a tone, an attitude . . . Conservatism, after all, is a relative term. The question is: what do you want to conserve?”
—In Defense of Freedom
“…truth withers when freedom dies, however righteous the authority that kills it…”
—“Freedom, Tradition, Conservatism,” What Is Conservatism?
Writings:
Russell Kirk
About
Russell Kirk (1918-1994) is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century’s most important men of letters, and is ranked high among the principal architects of the postwar conservative intellectual movement.
Check out the infographic that illustrates Kirk’s thought here.
Quotes
“I had rather lose with Socrates . . . than win with Lenin.”
— The Essential Russell Kirk: Selected Essays
“. . . there exists no Model Conservative, and conservatism is the negation of ideology: it is a state of mind, a type of character, a way of looking at the civil social order.”
— The Politics of Prudence
“It is not propaganda nor productivity nor intellectuality that has power to invigorate America at the crisis of the nation’s fate. By virtue are nations defended.”
— “Virtue: Can It Be Taught?” Modern Age, Summer/Fall 1982
Writings
Frank Chodorov
About
Frank Chodorov (1887-1966) was a leading proponent of individualism who influenced generations of thinkers on the right with his incisive critiques of statism. Recognizing that “every diagnostician is faced with the demand for a cure,” Chodorov founded the Intercollegiate Studies Institute in 1953.
Read a profile of Chodorov here.
Quotes
“. . . man’s management of man is presumptuous and fraught with danger.”
—One Is a Crowd: Reflections of an Individualist
Writings & Lectures
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