Wow, I never even looked at the Author of that article...LOL. Yes, I am very familiar with Kirk and his writings. You are correct, he surely predates the Goldwater movement. Kirk was obviously much closer to what I might call a "utopian libertarian" than the "practical libertarian" who emerged to become part of the Conservative movement during the latter half of the 20th Century. As for our being a poorer nation because libertarians moved away from Kirk's ideological purity...well...we will have to agree to disagree. While I myself am largely guided by a theoretical belief in libertarian principles, I feel it is, at best, naive to ignore the basic realities of human nature that limit pure libertarianism to a utopian dream rather than a coherent, truly viable, political ideology. I am pretty much the walking embodiment of the so-called "fusion" that Kirk held in such contempt...LOL
it is, at best, naive to ignore the basic realities of human nature that limit pure libertarianism to a utopian dream rather than a coherent, truly viable, political ideology.
Kirk prized prudence, convention and custom over ideology. Isn't "prudent ideology" an oxymoron? All ideologues think their system viable no matter the evidence otherwise.
Kirk considered conservatism the negation of ideology, an outlook tested by the long experience of human traditions so hated by would-be liberators.