Politics of Prudence

If you want to know what conservative core principles are there is no better place to begin than this hugely enjoyable and fascinating compilation of the work from our latter-day Edmund Burke. He has shaped my thought and guided my study of conservative political principles for some time now and it is high time a younger genertion rediscovered the works of this magnificent man. His erudition is a perfect match for his charmingly old-fashioned writing style. You might want to follow up a reading of this work with either "The Roots of Order" or "Eliot and His Age."

This is a great book that it under appreciated. From the author of The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot, Russell Kirk here presents a concise explanation of what it means to be conservative in one's politics. According to Kirk, all other political "philosophies" are not conservative because they adopt ideology. In contrast, conservatism (in its true form) denies all ideology and instead adopts a "politics of prudence." Considering the success and significant of "The Conservative Mind," I am surprised that this book isn't more widely recognized. I thought it was great. Kirk is a good writer and a this book was a pleasure to read. If you're a self-described conservative who is sick of the Hannities, Becks, and Coulters of the world, this book is a great way to plug into the broader, deeper tradition of conservatism. Highly recommended.

Russell Kirk (1918-1994) was a dominant figure in the post-World War II revival of Conservative thought. Toward the end of his life, he gave a series of lectures at the Heritage Foundation which form the basis of THE POLITICS OF PRUDENCE. Like everything Dr. Kirk wrote, the POLITICS OF PRUDENCE is insightful and also a pleasure to read. The book is in a sense a summing up of Dr. Kirk's though and also a primer on Conservatism. Kirk describes 10 important events in Conservatism, 10 important Conservative books, 10 important Conservative thinkers, and 10 important conservatives. He also has chapters on the nature of Conservatism, Conservative foreign policy and the Conservative approach to various issues. Dr. Kirk's version of Conservatism is somewhat controversial. According to Kirk, Conservatism is not an ideology, rather it is an "attitude" reflecting "prudence." Kirk defines ideology as a type of secular religion. For this reason, many libertarians have criticized Kirk for reducing Conservatism to an "attitude" rather than a coherent ideology that is able to confront statism. I don't agree with Kirk's definition of "ideology," but it is important to note that Kirk supported free enterprise, and limited (and decentralized) government. Although he wasn't supportive of libertarianism (which he critiques here in a somewhat off the mark essay), he was no apologist for the state. Two essays stand out here. In "The Neoconservatives: An Endangered Species," he makes the now-famous statement that "And not seldom it has seemed as if some eminent Neoconservatives mistook Tel Aviv for the capital of the United States." In "Toward a Prudent Foreign Policy" he criticizes the first Gulf War as a "war for an oil-can." No doubt Kirk would have opposed the recent Gulf War (and been denounced as an "unpatriotic conservative" by the nitwits who now pass as deep thinkers in the conservative movement. For an even more basic summary of Kirk's thought, see his book THE AMERICAN CAUSE, which has recently been republished by ISI.

Kirk is indeed the father of 20th century American conservatism. This book serves as both an excellent introduction to his foundational writings and to conservatism, properly understood, itself. If you want to study conservatism you couldn't do better than starting with this fine collection of essays.