The debate is coming this Monday and I can't wait. It has the feel of a super hero versus super villain fight. But when I reflect on it - it really isn't a debate. Conservatism has triumphed through the eons and has won History. After the fall of the Berlin wall the only mega-global philosophy that was still standing was conservatism. Articulated and acted on by Reagan it exhausted the socialist empire which collapsed like Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.
It shouldn't have surprised anyone, looking back, because conservatism is simply empirically observing what works and doesn't work in societies through human history and applying or avoiding those principles to the current society. Unless human nature changed (the dependent variable) then the independent variables of liberty, rule of law, limited government, capitalism would inexorably be distilled as principles which strengthen society. If for example, it had been found that say liberty was not a societal strength or preference of people or that socialism was more preferential to people than conservatism then conservatives, would have, by empirical necessity, embraced socialism.
But that is not what happened. It didn't happen in North Korea or Russia or Venezuela or any other country where socialism was tried. So Conservatism won the game of History in the early 1990s. If any future peoples wanted to build a strong and prosperous and happy society then the playbook on how to do it was written. The only problem is that winning at a game and being on the top are two different things. Conservatism has no inherent purpose other than to ensure a free, prosperous, and happy people.
The United States, the leader of the conservative movement, ultimately made these three goals (freedom/prosperity/pursuit of happiness) into one- Materialism. In the Civil War it was recognized that the South was outclassed due to the material strength of the North. This led, later, to America eventually crushing the Axis powers by being the arsenal of democracy. The elites knew that modern warfare wasn't about battles it was about logistics and supplies. The Soviets and Americans both defined, in the ensuing cold war, the fundamental race was a competition to secure material prosperity for their people. The Soviet collective simply could not keep pace with the animal spirits of entrepreneurialism found in the West.
But now that the champ has been declared, the core philosophy of conservatism- materialism- is vacuous. It offers no purpose with out an enemy. Lobbing $10 million dollar missiles randomly into a vast desert through the decades against terrorists is emblematic of this pointlessness. Simply to buy more stuff- is the only answer that conservatives can offer. It is the only offer that materialism will allow.
Enter the lost youth and liberalism. God was subordinated to materialism (just listen to a country singer crow about Sunday night football). Liberalism is all about purpose. Healthcare, free stuff, rights, drugs etc. you name it and it will provide that name with a purpose. The youth are always searching for purpose. It is small wonder that the it chooses liberalism (hug a tree!) over conservatism (buy more stuff!). Conservatives, being the students of history that we are need to recognize this. We need to recognize that Conservatism won history but it will not be sustained unless it also provides a philosophy.
More to follow
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