[RightWingAtheist]

Along the lines of the connections between evolutionism and capitalism, has it ever frequently crossed your minds, as it has mine, that of all political doctrines, conservatism, at its most basic, is the one most analogous to evolution? True conservatism is not the mindless reactionarism or passive complacence that its detractors and, nor is it as simple as "Standing athwart history, yelling Stop". It aknowledges that change is inevitable, sometimes even desirable, but also that it is gradual, and that we cannot escape continuity with the past. Moreover, there is a process of selective adaptation in the course of history, where we preserve those traditions and values which have proven themselves to be beneficial to both the individual and society, cast off those which are harmful, and are skeptical of those mutations, the fads and personal indulgences passed off as "lifestyle choices" and "alternative perspectives" which try to overtake tradition and insunate themselves into the mainstream.

Conservatism also views both human nature and its products-our societies, our cultures and and our institutions- as parts of a natural order following certain laws, and while we can use our knowledge to ameliorate our condition, we cannot re-engineer society based upon our always limited understanding (something which Von Mises emphasizes in Theory and History. Contrast that to what calls itself "progressivism" today, which assumes that people are all products of their environment, that culture and society our all constructions, and that they are infinitely malleable, and can be restructured according to a desired ideal, and you have an approach which resembles a bizarre melange of intelligent design and Lysenkoism.

For your further edification, feel free to peruse the links section of my FR homepage (shameless plug, I know), which I've filled mostly with pro-evolution conservative and libertarian sites. This includes, surprisingly enough, Little Green Footballs, whose webmasters are pro-evo, and while they don't post as regularly on the evolution/creation debate as we do, and whose threads on the subject make ours look tame. If any of you have other suggested sites to add, please do so.

[highball]

Well put.

Thank you.

[PatrickHenry]

I don't know why it took me so long to explicitly see all the connections, but now it's suddenly obvious. A proper understanding of the principles of: (a) the American Revolution (as expressed by the Founders); and (b) free enterprise (expounded by Adam Smith, also in 1776) prepares the rational mind to fully understand Darwin's theory of evolution in the context of the Age of Enlightenment. As it is with economics and politics, life itself will thrive in the absence of arbitrary authority. It may be that Darwin couldn't have achieved his intellectual breakthrough without the advantage of living in a post-1776 world.

The rational, freedom-loving conservative not only rejects the tyranny of Dark Ages guilds, state monopolies, trade restrictions, monarchy, and theocracy, but he also rejects creationism -- for the same reasons. Just as economies function best without controls, and societies function best when lightly governed, so too do biological systems organize themselves and proliferate without external guidance. Adam Smith's "invisible hand" appears to be everywhere, yet the hand of Providence is never intrusive.

Those who group Darwin with Marx and Freud are horribly confused. Darwin's work has nothing to do with theirs. Darwin properly deserves to be grouped with Adam Smith and the Founding Founders, as one of the Enlightenment philosophers -- perhaps one of the last, before the horrors of the 20th Century were unleashed by lesser minds.

[jennyp]

For your further edification, feel free to peruse the links section of my FR homepage (shameless plug, I know), which I've filled mostly with pro-evolution conservative and libertarian sites.

I like your list. Here's one you might like: Timothy Sandefur's blog (unfortunately dormant now). He's an Objectivist attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, & an occasional contributor to the Panda's Thumb.

[js1138]

Applause ping