Three Influential Conservative Thinkers Every College Student Should Know

The following three thinkers represent the traditionalists, classical liberals, and “fusionists” who made up the many diverse thinkers on the right. They may not be household names, but the conservative movement in America would never have happened without them.

Frank Meyer

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.

• Profile: From Communist to Reagan Conservative
• Article: What All Conservatives Can Agree On
• Article: Liberalism’s Intellectual Bankruptcy

Russell Kirk

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.

• Selection: The Best of Russell Kirk
• Article: Social Class and Equality in America
• Infographic: The Roots of American Order

Frank Chodorov

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.

• Profile: A Thinker You Should Know: Frank Chodorov [LINK]
• Article: The Dogma of Our Times
• Lecture: Bebunking the State