“Just off hand without formulating an essay, it is my recollection that Kirk held certain tenants to be beyond issues of individual “rights” or rights that might be debated philosphically. Chiefly amongst them were tenants on Property.”
I see. Ironically, Kirk nods to Burke in his summarization of prescription in the following passage;
It is perilous to weigh every passing issue on the basis of private judgment and private rationality. The individual is foolish, but the species is wise, Burke declared. In politics we do well to abide by precedent and precept and even prejudice, for the great mysterious incorporation of the human race has acquired a prescriptive wisdom far greater than any man’s petty private rationality.”
My reading was that he was alluding to the collective wisdom of “western man” in an almost Jungian sense of collective consciousness or a tidal belonging that endowed us (in addition to that of the creator) with more than inalienable rights, but the “oceanic belonging” of humanity as experienced by our tribe...which transferred immutably to the “passions” of the collective wisdom rather than the ipetousness of the individual?
I believe Hayek would hold that rational examination or looking for rational arguements to explain why Private Property and Freedom are intertwined is not understanding the million empiracal tests, trials and experiments that man and his governments have gone through in keeping Private Property as defended by governments.
Mark invented, yes invented, the term "capitalism" in order to marginalize traditional concepts of government since he could say that the "capitalists" are merely defenders of great seats of wealth. He had to have a bad guy to foist a giant scheme on his readers.