Posts Tagged ‘“The Conservative Mind”’

Treasons of American Progressives and Democrats

January 17, 2016

Treasons of American Progressives and Democrats

Yes, I have am accusing American progressives and radical-liberal democrats, along with some republicans who are in consort with them, of treason!

As you will see, if you study today’s blog, I am absolutely not overstating my case.

Treason is commonly defined as follows:

  1. “The offense of acting to overthrow one’s government.  2. A violation of allegiance to one’s sovereign or to one’s state. 3 The betrayal of trust or confidence; breach of faith; treachery.”

I intend to prove the point that so-called “progressivism” has long been a destructive and murderous political force. It should rightfully be considered the evil “dark-side” of political philosophy and practice.

Russell Kirk discusses the main features of radical-liberal progressivism in his amazing book, The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot (1953). He refers to the general tenets of radical-liberal progressivism as “radicalism”, noting that they represent an amalgamation of various secular, utilitarian and science-derived political philosophies. He states that since 1770, radicalism has waged unrelenting attacks upon near universal conservative tendencies, or habits, of societies.

In Kirk’s words, the identifying features of political radicalism are:

  1. “The perfectibility of man and the illimitable progress of society: melioration. Radicals believe that education, positive legislation, and alteration of environment can produce men like gods; they deny that humanity has a natural proclivity toward violence and sin.”
  2. “Contempt for tradition. Reason, impulse, and materialistic determinism are severally preferred as guides to social welfare, trustier than the wisdom of our ancestors. Formal religion is rejected and various ideologies are presented as substitutes.”
  3. “Political levelling. Order and privilege are condemned; total democracy, as direct as practicable, is the professed radical ideal. Allied with this spirit, generally, is a dislike of old parliamentary arrangements and an eagerness for centralization and consolidation.”
  4. “Economic levelling. The ancient rights of property, especially property in land, are suspect to almost all radicals, and collectivistic reformers hack at the institution of private property root and branch.”
  5. “One can only remark that radicals unite in detesting Burke’s description of the state as ordained of God, and his concept of society as joined in perpetuity by a moral bond among the dead, the living, and those yet to be born—the community of souls.”

Kirk documents that conservative philosophers, though history, have known that these main features of radicalism (i.e., radical-liberal progressivsim) have forever been the ruination of freedom and stability among societies.

It should be clear that those who work to impose these five features of radicalism upon the foundations of America’s Constitutional Republic guilty of treason.

They are  attempting to foment a revolution against our essential, unique and sacred principles of self-governance. In all deceptive and propagandistic ways possible, they are also working to eradicate and stigmatize America’s great historical accomplishments as well as our historically successful values, traditions and religious practices.

I hope you will carefully evaluate the following article. It documents only a fraction of the horrific effects of radicalism/progressivism in the 20th century and then illustrates its traitorous and predictably destructive effects upon all of us in America in the 21 st. century.

Wake-Up America!

Reject progressivism; or suffer death by radical-liberal “transformation”.

Please study the following:

http://www.truthrevolt.org/commentary/horowitz-treasons-democrats

V. Thomas Mawhinney, Ph.D.

1/17/16

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Russell Kirk, “The Conservative Mind” # 2

January 6, 2016

Russell Kirk, “The Conservative Mind” # 2

From Russell Kirk’s foreword.

“For the conservative, custom, convention, constitution, and prescription are the sources of a tolerable civil social order. Men not being angels, a terrestrial paradise cannot be contrived by metaphysical enthusiasts; yet an earthly hell can be arranged readily enough by ideologues of one stamp or another. Precisely that has come to pass in a great part of the world during the twentieth century.” pp. xv- xvi

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“It remains conceivable even now that much worth conserving in our culture may be protected and renewed—granted some conservative will and talent among the rising generation. No universal fall into the antagonist world is decreed ineluctably by a defied History. Burke in 1779, denied with vehemence that great states inescapably are subject to cycle of growth and decay”:

‘At the very moment when some of them seemed plunged in unfathomable abysses of disgrace and disaster, they have suddenly emerged. They have begun a new course, and opened a new reckoning; and even in the depths of their calamity, and on the very ruins of their country, have laid the foundations of a towering and durable greatness. All this has happened without any apparent previous change in the general circumstances which had brought on their distress. The death of a man at a critical juncture, his disgust , his retreat, his disgrace, have brought innumerable calamities on a whole nation. A common soldier, a child, a girl at the door of an inn, changed the face of fortune,  and almost of Nature.’ p. xix

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Perhaps there is reason to still hope for America!

God only knows who America’s fickle political process will propel to the Presidency.

There may be several candidates who Edmond Burk and Russel Kirk (both now deceased) may have approved of.

I suspect that Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz would be prominent among them.

V. Thomas Mawhinney, 1/6/16

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“The Conservative Mind” by Russell Kirk

December 20, 2015

“The Conservative Mind” by Russell Kirk

The actual title of this book is The Conservative mind: From Burke to Eliot.

This is no easy book to read, as it spans 501 pages and covers the concepts and precepts of Conservatism through history, through Russell Kirk’s own vast vocabulary and highly refined style of written expression.

Even well-educated readers will need to use a good dictionary should they wish to grasp much of his own writings and those of the great personages of history upon whom he elucidates and very frequently quotes. These quotations  are frequently written in a formal style and in the prose of centuries past.

Never the less, diligence will be rewarded with important insights into the origins of both conservative and liberal/progressive ideals. More importantly, the reader will see why conservative societies generally succeed (at least for a time) and why liberal/progressive societies (into which conservative societies tend to decline) generally fail.

America is now at enormous risk because it has abandoned is social and political conservatism and is rapidly evolving in the direction of the well-known socialistic/progressive ideals that generally spell disaster.

I have provided a significant number of short articles examining and critiquing the social/political philosophies of Conservatism, Libertarianism, Socialism and Progressivism.

At this time of steep American cultural decline, it is imperative that the voting public understand the main features of these engines of social change, as well as their typical evolutionary trajectories.

The fact that a great percentage of America’s (let alone the world’s) population will be unable to grasp the complexities of these philosophies and their deferred consequences to societies embodies a fearful revelation:

Relatively “free societies”, democracies and unbalanced representative republics (such as our own) normally devolve into rank socialism, and worse, when an increasingly indolent and dependent electorate learns to vote itself into the shackles of governmental largess.

I hope you will spend some time reviewing my articles that bear directly upon these concerns and the looming fate of your own society.

Please separately enter the words conservatism, libertarianism, socialism and progressivism in my search box on the upper right side of my main blog page. Think about these matters and then vote accordingly in all upcoming elections.

I will soon provide you with a series of commentary and important quotes from Russel Kirk’s, The Conservative Mind.

V. Thomas Mawhinney,  12/19/15

 

 

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What Conservatism Is Not: Radical Liberalism

November 13, 2015

What Conservatism Is Not: Radical Liberalism

The following quotes are taken from Russell Kirk’s book, The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot (1953)

Near the beginning, Kirk attempts to distill the elements of Radicalism. In today’s, lexicon he was attempting to define what is fittingly called Radical Liberalism, or Progressivism.

At any rate, the main elements of the radical social and political philosophy that Kirk is describing is certain death to the powerful American conservatism from which this great and incomparable nation was born.

The following is written by Russel Kirk about the nature of Radicalism. It is written in “high English” and it is not easy reading. However, diligent readers will certainly understand the main thrust of the elements of radicalism that Kirk presents because they have been witnessing the destructive force of its growth in America and Europe for over one-half of a century.

This main elements are as follows, and I quote:

  1. The perfectibility of man and the illimitable progress of society: meliorism. Radicals believe that education, positive legislation, and alteration of environment can produce men like gods; they deny that humanity has a natural proclivity toward violence and sin.
  2. Contempt for tradition. Reason, impulse, and materialistic determinism are severally preferred as guides to social welfare, trustier than the wisdom of our ancestors. Formal religion is rejected and various ideologies are presented as substitutes.
  3. Political leveling. Order an privilege are condemned; total democracy, as direct as practicable, is the professed radical ideal. Allied with this spirit, generally, is a dislike of old parliamentary arrangements and an eagerness for centralization and consolidation.
  4. Economic leveling. The ancient rights of property, especially property in land, are suspect to almost all radicals; and collectivistic reformers hack at the institution of private property root and branch.
  5. As a fifth point, one might try to define a common radical view of the state’s function; but here the chasm of opinion between the chief schools of innovation is to deep for any satisfactory generalization. One can only remark that radicals unite in detesting Burke’s description of the state as ordained of God, and his concept of society as joined in perpetuity by a moral bond among the dead, the living, and those yet to be born—the community of souls.

End of quote, page 10.

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Our Founding Father’s Constituted this great nation under the moral and ethical precepts of God. Whether one is a believer or not, they cannot argue with the existence of this legacy and the ascendancy of this great nation among the world of nations.

In spite of America’s periods of darker doings, well-noted by its detractors (the American Indian, Slavery, and examples of ruthless capitalism), America has done more than any other nation in the world to correct these natural human tendencies. It has done more than any other nation in the world to protect millions of people from death and subjugation by tyrants and totalitarians. America has done more that any other nation in the world to spread knowledge and technology; and freedom from tyranny, disease and poverty than any nation in the world.

Of course no society or citizenry in the history of the world is perfect. But, America did these things by strongly supporting the many religions among its population and freeing people to work, create, educate and raise their children as they desired. America did these things by allowing families to instill the values in their children that they had faith would lead to law-abiding and moral behavior toward others.

America leveled the “playing field by providing equality for all under the law and within its justice system. It did not do it by attempting to guarantee equality in all outcomes for its citizens. This is something that can never be done while preserving liberty for all. Better than any other nation in the history of  earth, America strives to provide equal opportunity for all its citizens to pursue their personal goals and achievements.

Sadly, during the past 55 years, increasing radical liberalism in America, as defined above by Russell Kirk, has predictably brought rank-corruption into our political system as well as (predictably) dramatically increasing rates of social psychopathology within our population.

History  now confronts us with the fact that America’s declining conditions will not improve until we return to the traditional precepts and moral values that once made us great.

It may already be too late.

Now may be the last great chance for Americans to channel all the optimism that we can muster into our coming elections.

We can do this by voting for a return to America’s Founding conservative principles.

V. Thomas Mawhinney, 11/9/15

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The Nature of American Conservatism #6

November 8, 2015

The Nature of American Conservatism #6

This series of blogs is based upon William Bennett and John Cribb’s new book, America the Strong: Conservative Ideas to Spark the Next Generation.

They suggest that the key features of Conservatism are easily remembered using the acronym “FLINT”. This word stands for:

F=Free Enterprise

L=Limited Government

I=Individual Liberty

N=National Defense

T=Traditional Values

“T” stands for Traditional Values.

I will let Bennett and Cribb, along with the great conservative Russell Kirk who they quote, explain and illustrated the meaning of traditional values.

The following are quotations from Bennett and Cribb’s America the Strong:

The word Conservative comes from the Latin word conservare, meaning to keep safe, observe, or maintain. Every generation has the responsibility of preserving our best values, along with the customs and institutions that help pass those values to the next generation.

When one generation fails to pass along traditional values, things can go very wrong. It leaves people without a clear sense of what’s important, of the differences between right and wrong. That can ruin lives and harm entire cultures. (Kindle Loc. 2415)

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First and most important, traditional values include good moral values—old-fashioned virtues like honesty, courage, compassion and responsibility. The moral values you hold make all the difference in how good your life is. That truth of the human condition has never changed and will never change.

Conservatives believe there are enduring moral truths in the universe. That is, there are rules of right and wrong behavior that have come down to us through the centuries and apply to all. Moral rules such as it’s wrong to steal. It’s good to help others in need. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

In many ways, trying to live by these rules is the central par of life. The striving to acquire virtues like self-discipline and perseverance is perhaps the greatest challenge we all face. Life is, in essence, a moral and civic endeavor.

You don’t have to be religious to have good moral values, but for many people, faith is the most vital part of morality. God anchors their sense of right and wrong. They believe that God has established the moral order of the universe. Faith lifts each person outside the self and inspires a larger sense of purpose.

None of us is born knowing right from wrong or having good moral values. These things have to be learned. So the task of each generation is to pass good values on to the next generation.

Conservatives believe that education is largely about the formation of good character. Young people acquire virtues like kindness and loyalty largely by practicing them until they become habits. They learn morality through the examples, expectations, and rules set by adult around them.

The family is the most important institution when it comes to forming character. The moral lessons parents teach make all the difference. That’s a big reason conservatives are so concerned about the breakdown of the American family and the fact that so many children are growing up in homes without both a mother and a father.

Conservatives want the traditional institution of marriage to thrive because it helps keep families together. Strong marriages are not only good for men and women, but they’re also the best way to raise children and give them solid values.

Community institutions play critical roles in teaching good moral values. Institutions like churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship. Schools. Neighborhoods. Volunteer groups such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

In fact, the entire culture is involved in transmitting values from one generation to the next. That includes popular culture—The movies we watch, the books we read, the advertisements we see on TV, the music we download. Some of the messages our popular culture sends—like do whatever makes you happy and it’s fine to sleep around—are directly opposed to traditional values. They’re the kind of values that can get us in trouble. (Kindle Loc. 2421-2441)

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The authors quote Russell Kirk, a great 20th Century conservative philosopher.

“A society in which men and women are governed by belief in an enduring moral order, by a strong sense of right and wrong, by personal convictions about justice and honor, will be a good society—whatever political machinery it may utilize; while a society in which men and women are morally adrift, ignorant of norms, and intent chiefly upon gratification of appetites, will be a bad society—no matter how many people vote and no matter how liberal its formal constitution may be”. (Kindle Loc. 2446)

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I will leave you with this question: Regarding what Bennett and Cribb have written and from Russell Kirk’s perspective, how do you think America is now doing?

V. Thomas Mawhinney, 11/8/15

P.S. There will be more to come about the philosophy of Conservatism.

I am now reading one of Russell Kirk’s books entitled, The Conservative Mind: From Burk to Eliot, and I will soon share some important insights gleaned from this powerful book with you.

I believe that a firm understanding of traditional American Conservatism will not only tell us what has gone wrong with America, it will also explain what must be done to restore it to its former glories.

Follow me! Click the upper right corner of my blog page.

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