Fred Hutchison
The five kinds of conservatism: listed by order of first historical appearance
By Fred Hutchison
1) Traditionalist conservatism (first appeared in the 8th century BC)
Ancient: Sought to restore a golden age, to venerate forefathers and heroes, to embrace tradition, to honoring literary classics, and cultivate timeless virtues.
Medieval: Venerated heroes and saints. Defended the honor of the family. Viewed the family as a community of souls, living and dead, stretching back to the primordial past. Lived in tightly woven communities of long continuance. The ancients were seen as giants in wisdom in contrast to their own modest understanding. Venerated the literary classics. Taught the seven liberal arts.
Modern: Edmund Burke: A social fabric woven by our forebears with golden threads of wisdom, makes it possible for the flourishing of human lives and the enjoyment of high culture. Foolish modernist reformers rend the social fabric and damage human communities. / Russell Kirk: Restore community, learn from prior generations, accept social classes, cherish private property, be measured and prudent in political change and read the classics. / C.S. Lewis: It is folly to exalt the wisdom of today and demean the wisdom of prior generations and centuries.
2) Neoconservatism (1st century BC)
Roman: Virgil: Study the literary classics and cultivate virtue. Bring order to the world by conquering and ruling the barbarians. Subdue disorder in the heart and in society. Build civilization and advance the greater glory of Rome.
Modern: Read the literary classics. Fight the barbarians who are the enemies of civilization. Fight the barbarians in academia who are deconstructing great literature and undercutting the Western cultural heritage. Fight the barbarians abroad, namely, the Muslim jihadists.
3) Christian conservatism (1st century AD)
Roman and Medieval: Marriage, family, church, community and government are ordained of God for our good and we are obliged to submit to these institutions. The government must fight evil. "Christendom," or Christ's kingdom, is gradually being formulated in society as God works through the church. The church has a mission for the spiritual formation of souls. It also has a mission to educate the people, to develop the leaders of society and to sponsor culture. Man is fallen and needs redemption, restraint, and holy fear. For "athletes of Christ," the potential for personal holiness is great.
Modern: Strong families, strong churches, the moral law and self-restraint are essential to freedom and order in a Republic. The individual needs grace for self-government. Society needs grace for firmness and restraint in government. Volunteer organizations motivated by charity, fraternity and benevolence have functions for which the government is not competent. The church has a voice in the public square as the conscience of society and the opponent of evil.
4) Natural law conservatism (13th century)
Aquinas, Locke and Montesquieu. Also called "classical liberalism." Man has a nature according to the Creator's design. By nature he is entitled to certain freedoms and bound by certain duties. Human reason is the means by which we discover these rights and the duties. The universal moral law and the laws of nature are binding upon man. The main role of government is to protect human rights. There are certain activities such as the police and the military which government can offer but men cannot provide for themselves. The legitimate role of government is limited. Men form a social contract with government — men will submit to government and government will protect their rights.
5) Libertarianism (20th century)
Some libertarians are indistinguishable from classical liberals. Others inflate human rights and freedoms while denying obligations and duties. Some deny the universal moral law. Some recognize evil only in the form of statist government. Human reason, free will and individualism are highly prized by libertarians. Collective entities are only valued in terms of what they mean to particular individuals. Government should be minimal.
© Fred Hutchison
1) Traditionalist conservatism (first appeared in the 8th century BC)
Ancient: Sought to restore a golden age, to venerate forefathers and heroes, to embrace tradition, to honoring literary classics, and cultivate timeless virtues.
Medieval: Venerated heroes and saints. Defended the honor of the family. Viewed the family as a community of souls, living and dead, stretching back to the primordial past. Lived in tightly woven communities of long continuance. The ancients were seen as giants in wisdom in contrast to their own modest understanding. Venerated the literary classics. Taught the seven liberal arts.
Modern: Edmund Burke: A social fabric woven by our forebears with golden threads of wisdom, makes it possible for the flourishing of human lives and the enjoyment of high culture. Foolish modernist reformers rend the social fabric and damage human communities. / Russell Kirk: Restore community, learn from prior generations, accept social classes, cherish private property, be measured and prudent in political change and read the classics. / C.S. Lewis: It is folly to exalt the wisdom of today and demean the wisdom of prior generations and centuries.
2) Neoconservatism (1st century BC)
Roman: Virgil: Study the literary classics and cultivate virtue. Bring order to the world by conquering and ruling the barbarians. Subdue disorder in the heart and in society. Build civilization and advance the greater glory of Rome.
Modern: Read the literary classics. Fight the barbarians who are the enemies of civilization. Fight the barbarians in academia who are deconstructing great literature and undercutting the Western cultural heritage. Fight the barbarians abroad, namely, the Muslim jihadists.
3) Christian conservatism (1st century AD)
Roman and Medieval: Marriage, family, church, community and government are ordained of God for our good and we are obliged to submit to these institutions. The government must fight evil. "Christendom," or Christ's kingdom, is gradually being formulated in society as God works through the church. The church has a mission for the spiritual formation of souls. It also has a mission to educate the people, to develop the leaders of society and to sponsor culture. Man is fallen and needs redemption, restraint, and holy fear. For "athletes of Christ," the potential for personal holiness is great.
Modern: Strong families, strong churches, the moral law and self-restraint are essential to freedom and order in a Republic. The individual needs grace for self-government. Society needs grace for firmness and restraint in government. Volunteer organizations motivated by charity, fraternity and benevolence have functions for which the government is not competent. The church has a voice in the public square as the conscience of society and the opponent of evil.
4) Natural law conservatism (13th century)
Aquinas, Locke and Montesquieu. Also called "classical liberalism." Man has a nature according to the Creator's design. By nature he is entitled to certain freedoms and bound by certain duties. Human reason is the means by which we discover these rights and the duties. The universal moral law and the laws of nature are binding upon man. The main role of government is to protect human rights. There are certain activities such as the police and the military which government can offer but men cannot provide for themselves. The legitimate role of government is limited. Men form a social contract with government — men will submit to government and government will protect their rights.
5) Libertarianism (20th century)
Some libertarians are indistinguishable from classical liberals. Others inflate human rights and freedoms while denying obligations and duties. Some deny the universal moral law. Some recognize evil only in the form of statist government. Human reason, free will and individualism are highly prized by libertarians. Collective entities are only valued in terms of what they mean to particular individuals. Government should be minimal.
© Fred Hutchison
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