Excerpts

Philosophy in a vacuum is not good, for the man who makes himself philosophical yet has no true understanding of its meaning can’t fathom the depth that it gives to one’s decisions and opinions. Those who consider philosophy pie-in-the-sky theorizing usually dismiss it as useless.

But when philosophy is properly understood and appreciated, it is of great use to society. True understanding of pure philosophy gives one a rich understanding of key issues that affect one every day.

The conservative, as I see him, bases all of his views on society by appealing to pure philosophy. He bases his perception of the society, the individual, the marketplace and all other things on principles, logic, morality, and the rule of law. He does not base it on emotion, envy, or his own personal agenda.

I have endeavored to make this book about the credo of conservatism, the compact of conservatism, and the platform of this one movement that has changed the face of America so many times for the better.

It is not the credo of one faction, aspect, or section of conservatism, such as paleoconservatism, or neoconservatism, or libertarianism, or anything else. On the contrary, it is the credo of what I refer to as basic conservatism.

Basic conservatism is the uniting philosophy of conservatism. It is not the basis for one faction of the conservative movement, but a basis agreed on by all. In other words, in the same way that C. S. Lewis wrote about basic Christianity in Mere Christianity, I write on “mere conservatism.”

I am committed to defining the basic ideas of conservatism that unite all true conservatives, for I believe that all factions of conservatism have no need to quarrel, because their differences are ones of policy and priority—not basic philosophy. All conservatives have the same reaction to socialist economic policies, for example. And that is what is important—perhaps never more than now, while America has its farthest left-wing president in its history!

The conservatism that I believe in is the same conservatism that President Ronald Reagan championed during the 1980s and the Founding Fathers espoused some two hundred years before that. The fact of the matter is the principles of conservatism have not changed—ever.

The conservative finds himself confronted daily by its faithful opposition, the left. The left’s factions include, but are not limited to, socialism, communism, liberalism, Marxism, Stalinism, Leninism, Trotskyism, fascism, authoritarianism, martial rule, tyranny, monarchy, and, most stylish today, progressivism.