In episode#6 of Dignities and Disasters, Robert MacNaughton and Michael Porcelli tease out the good, the messy middle and the bad of conservatism. Often misconstrued to be aligned with right-wing politics, conservatism emphasizes the value of the past and the wisdoms accrued through it. Whether exploring the idiosyncrasies of folk tales, the quasi-colonialism of modern day politics’ foreign affairs or the inevitable Godwin’s Law, this episode will have you thinking.

Some of the topics we explore:

- The Conservative Disposition 

Show Notes:

07:37 - The conservative disposition

08:20 - Heuristics

11:10 - Chesterton’s Fence

12:00 - Folk wisdom and rules of thumb

14:10 - Hesitate (Scruton’s slogan)

15:50 - Continuity

16:05 - Star Trek Prime Directive

17:02 - Unintended consequences

18:50 - Localism

20:00 - Duty and obligation

21:15 - Civility

23:00 - Moral foundations

24:30 - Tragic vision - Sowell/Pinker

29:40 - The messy middle

32:17 - Grandma’s ham

36:05 - Live caller #1

42:09 - The grapevine telephone

46:05 - Patriotism

46:35 - Enthocentricity

49:34 - Libertarianism

50:09 - Mistrust of experts and Populism

52:35 - Conservatism vs the Right

54:19 - Religious rule

55:07 - Reactionary and neo-reactionary conservatism

56:43 - Neo vs Paleo conservatism

57:33 - Imperialism and colonialism

58:35 - Isolationism

59:40 - Ethno nationalism

1:03:37 - Live caller #2

1:15:29 - Conclusion

Cartoon: Our Blessed Kingdom and Their Barbarous Wastes

References:

How to be a Conservative by Roger Scruton

Thomas Sowell - Conflict of visions

Jonathan Haidt -  The Righteous Mind (Moral Foundations theory)

Edmund Burke (1729-1797) - originator of political conservatism as a philosophy