Conservatism In Russell Kirk's The Conservative Mind
2038 Words9 Pages
In Russell Kirk's The Conservative Mind, he explains in depth Edmund Burke's life and political philosophy. Russell Kirk himself was one of the first people that tied Christian traditionalists to conservatism. "He declared the first 'canon' of conservative thought to be [the] belief that a divine intent rules society . . . Political problems, at bottom, are religious and moral problems." Kirk is definitely a diehard Burkian and describes his life and theories in detail. Burke was a very religious person and this is very evident in his theories. His theories form the foundation for a lot of other conservative thinkers. Burke had a strong love of personal freedom and was against arbitrary power as well as revolution. Burke advocated for conservatism as a solution to the problems in his country of England. Although Burke's theories can seem wholly elitist, the time period was not completely aristocratic. "Burke himself drew much of his support from the middle classes." Burke mostly advocated for slow change rather than trendy radical revolution. "Spiritual continuity, the immense importance of keeping change within the framework of custom, the recognition that society is an immortal being: these deep truths were impressed upon Burke's mind through his observation of free…show more content… These are mostly social issues that Bloom believes are causing the problems in society. Bloom does not address religion or say that there is a pious imperative to having good values and doing what is right. His argument is based in the need for intellectual pursuits and he dismisses foolhardy activities. Although some of his points are a bit outlandish, they still make more sense than arguments stemming entirely from a religious basis. Bloom points to specific things that have caused society to take a downturn rather than claiming thee broad notion that people are not following God's