116 – Fifty Conservative Thinkers

In an age where what passes for the archetype conservative are the likes of Candace Owens, Bill Mitchell, Sean Hannity, Matt Gaetz, Tomi Lahren, and Donald Trump, it can be discouraging for those of us who take pride in the rich legacy and colorful history of thinkers on the Right to be associated with such grifters, demagogues, and charlatans.   Trying to define conservatism is challenging and trying to compile a list of individuals who best exemplify conservatism is problematic.  Yet this is becoming increasingly important in a world where “conservatism” is quickly being coopted by reactionary nationalist populists who have little to nothing in common with the namesake.   In this episode Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis offers his list of conservative thinkers well worthy of your time and attention.    Disclaimer This list is imperfect and incomplete.  If I were to revisit the list next year or possibly even next week, I’m sure there are plenty of names I’d believe should supplant the names here.  Some of these individuals may even be uncomfortable with the label “conservative”, though they all share aspects of the broader conservative worldview.  The names below are not listed in order of preference or importance, but they are all insightful and noteworthy.   The fifty individuals discussed in this episode are noted below.  If you’d like to learn more about each one you can check out the original blog post of Fifty Conservative Thinkers for a brief bio and links.   Josh’s (Incomplete) List of Fifty Conservative Thinkers Worth Your Time Edmund Burke Milton Friedman Wilhelm Röpke David Bahnsen F.A. Hayek John Adams Frederick Douglass Thomas Sowell James Madison Barry Goldwater Ronald Reagan Bradley J. Birzer Russell Kirk Matthew Continetti David French Gertrude Himmelfarb George Nash Stephen J. Tonsor Roger Scruton Jacques Ellul Whittaker Chambers Michael Oakeshott Eric Voegelin Timothy Carney C.S. Lewis G.K. Chesterton Jonah Goldberg Wendell Berry T.S. Eliot Ross Douthat Mary Eberstadt Stanton Evans Irving Kristol George Will William F. Buckley Kristen Soltis Anderson Robert Nisbet Carly Fiorina Arthur Brooks Marian Tupy Charles Marohn Patrick Deneen Harry Jaffa Walter Williams Frank S. Meyer Alexis de Tocqueville Lord Acton Leo Stauss Willmoore Kendall Yuval Levin