Between Kirk and the Cult: Intellectual Conservatism's Decline in the Age of Populism

Rational Purview ^ | Apr 23, 2025 | Croaky Caiman

[x]

The connection between intellectual or literary or cultural conservatism and real-world politics has always been distant and weak. Even conservative “movement” politics had trouble actually achieving things in politics and governance. It was natural that eventually discontented people would turn towards more practical, hands-on politics.

[TBP]

So we should just follow whatever the “populist” leaedrs want at any given time?

[x]

We should try to fix the most pressing problems. Movement conservatism doesn’t have a great record of solving problems. It ended the Cold War (and went on to support some disastrous wars). That problem was scratched off the list. It gave us tax cuts. Not great for the deficit and a distraction from dealing with serious structural problems.

It talked a lot about deep cuts in government spending, but it didn’t deliver. Rather than ideologically motivated talk about getting back to some earlier state of things, we need to be more selective about weeding out programs that don’t work or are corrupted and promote division and economic stagnation.

You could see intellectual conservatism resulting more or less in George Will, the idea being that one should have stately decorum and noble traditions flowing from generation to generation. That doesn’t describe anything like today’s America and doesn’t do anything to get us out of the pit we’re in. It discourages, rather than encourages, constructive action.

[TBP]

Incorrect. Conservatism is what solves the problem.