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nikla88's review against another edition
4.0
Ci ho messo una vita a finire questo libro, perchè ho dovuto rileggere molti pezzi molte volte, riflettere, prendere appunti. Il linguaggio è anche piuttosto complesso per una persona non madrelingue e che non affronta questi argomenti giornalmente.
In conclusione mi ha aiutato a capire un pezzetto di più di questa nazione, così culturalmente e storicamente diversa dall'Italia. Tante idee, alcune condivise altre meno però sicuramente importanti per poter giudicare e comprendere i conservatori
In conclusione mi ha aiutato a capire un pezzetto di più di questa nazione, così culturalmente e storicamente diversa dall'Italia. Tante idee, alcune condivise altre meno però sicuramente importanti per poter giudicare e comprendere i conservatori
haraldg's review against another edition
4.0
The late Sir Roger Scruton explains why conservatism is a view of a reciprocal society, and a kind of contract between unborn, the living, the dead. Each chapter presents one reason why conservatism is much more than an idealisation of the (economic) status quo.
bootman's review against another edition
5.0
I’m a pretty progressive lefty, but I’m a firm believer that we should read books by people with different ideologies. The other day on Twitter, I got caught in the middle of a debate among philosophers about politics, but I managed to squeeze out some recommendations for conservative philosophers. Most academics and intellectuals are liberals, so I wanted to see who the best philosophers were, and Roger Scruton was recommended. He has a ton of books, but this one is the most recent, and it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for.
At the end of the day, I’m both happy that I read this book as well as extremely disappointed. I’m happy because I read it and got a better idea of what conservatives believe and how they think, but I’m disappointed because I found most of the arguments extremely weak and sometimes very contradictory.
Jonathan Haidt’s work helped me understand that people have different moral values, and that’s often what divides us. That’s something I can definitely accept. But, I also believe that the best books argue with themselves by trying to debunk their own arguments. When the author shows that they put deep thought into challenging their own beliefs, those are the best books. And maybe I expected that from this book simply because I wanted to see why conservatism isn’t so bad.
Instead, although Scruton is a very smart guy, this book seems to have been written for conservatives and managed to touch on all the silly culture war issues under the guise of it just being conservative beliefs. In addition to that, he mischaracterizes a lot of leftist beliefs, and rather than saying, “Here’s what conservatives believe,” he uses straw man arguments to say, “this is why leftists are wrong” while not even properly explaining what leftist believe.
Throughout the book, he tries to use moral arguments for conservative beliefs, and they just don’t land. This is an issue I often find with conservatism because they believe things when there’s no actual evidence, such as, “Social programs will make people lazy.” What really sealed it for me is later in the book when he uses the standard, extremely weak arguments against gay marriage. I was really hoping he’d argue something that made sense where I could say, “Well, although I disagree, I get what he’s saying,” but that’s not the case at all.
I guess lastly, there’s a lot of contradictions in the book. The primary conservative belief of “we should uphold traditions” makes no sense, and it never will. Every tradition was new at some point, so how could you argue against new ways of doing things? It’s like they just picked a point in time and said, “This shall be our starting point, and we need to keep it like this.”
Anywho, this book is hundreds of pages of confirmation bias for conservatives. If this is the best conservatives have as far as intellectuals go, I’m not impressed. I was given some other recommendations, though, so I’ll check those out and see.
At the end of the day, I’m both happy that I read this book as well as extremely disappointed. I’m happy because I read it and got a better idea of what conservatives believe and how they think, but I’m disappointed because I found most of the arguments extremely weak and sometimes very contradictory.
Jonathan Haidt’s work helped me understand that people have different moral values, and that’s often what divides us. That’s something I can definitely accept. But, I also believe that the best books argue with themselves by trying to debunk their own arguments. When the author shows that they put deep thought into challenging their own beliefs, those are the best books. And maybe I expected that from this book simply because I wanted to see why conservatism isn’t so bad.
Instead, although Scruton is a very smart guy, this book seems to have been written for conservatives and managed to touch on all the silly culture war issues under the guise of it just being conservative beliefs. In addition to that, he mischaracterizes a lot of leftist beliefs, and rather than saying, “Here’s what conservatives believe,” he uses straw man arguments to say, “this is why leftists are wrong” while not even properly explaining what leftist believe.
Throughout the book, he tries to use moral arguments for conservative beliefs, and they just don’t land. This is an issue I often find with conservatism because they believe things when there’s no actual evidence, such as, “Social programs will make people lazy.” What really sealed it for me is later in the book when he uses the standard, extremely weak arguments against gay marriage. I was really hoping he’d argue something that made sense where I could say, “Well, although I disagree, I get what he’s saying,” but that’s not the case at all.
I guess lastly, there’s a lot of contradictions in the book. The primary conservative belief of “we should uphold traditions” makes no sense, and it never will. Every tradition was new at some point, so how could you argue against new ways of doing things? It’s like they just picked a point in time and said, “This shall be our starting point, and we need to keep it like this.”
Anywho, this book is hundreds of pages of confirmation bias for conservatives. If this is the best conservatives have as far as intellectuals go, I’m not impressed. I was given some other recommendations, though, so I’ll check those out and see.
patpapineau1's review against another edition
3.0
Not a bad book, just didn't learn much, was hard to keep interest.
lassebirk's review against another edition
4.0
SUMMARY: Scruton argues for conservatism as the level-headed and cautious response to different ideologies that all contain an element of truth. He sees a truth in nationalism which is that states are most stable and function best when based on a homogenous culture with a common love of a specific territory, though it must be tamed to avoid the excesses of nationalism seen in the 20th century. The truth in socialism is that "we enjoy the fruits of society only if we are also ready to share them", while warning against the exaggerated focus on perfect equality. The truth in capitalism is that no other economic system manages to coordinate price information between all parties, while its excesses are the result of negative externalities.
In this fashion, he continues to discover the truth in liberalism, multiculturalism, environmentalism, and internationalism while warning against their excesses, which is the position of the conservative.
In this fashion, he continues to discover the truth in liberalism, multiculturalism, environmentalism, and internationalism while warning against their excesses, which is the position of the conservative.
scottacorbin's review against another edition
5.0
I've been on a Scruton kick lately, and this book stands out as an exemplary place to get acclimated with his work. After a biographical introduction, Scruton explores the truth in various other political ideologies (e.g. "the truth in socialism," "the truth in capitalism," etc.) Scruton then explores the essential attributes of the different ideologies and then critics their excesses. Some of his critiques are trenchant, while others are more differences of emphasis, which I think highlights the fecundity of his mind and his charitable spirit. In addition, certain passages looks like he wrote them last week in their perceptivity. I commend this especially to people seeking to understand what a creative, forward-thinking conservatism might look like.
RIP
RIP
pwyllugh's review against another edition
4.0
Gave me new insight into waht conservatism actually is, as I've never taken the time to research it. Very interesting and somehow also comforting.
steeluloid's review against another edition
5.0
Well, I never thought I’d even READ a book like this, let alone really enjoy it.
As a life-long Labour voter (and occasional party member) I wanted to appreciate how otherwise “good” people could support in-progressive policies.
I learned a lot via this book.
Not enough to turn me into a Tory, but enough to understand and respect the philosophy.
As a life-long Labour voter (and occasional party member) I wanted to appreciate how otherwise “good” people could support in-progressive policies.
I learned a lot via this book.
Not enough to turn me into a Tory, but enough to understand and respect the philosophy.