Best of Roger Scruton: What is Conservatism?

After learning in July 2019 that he had cancer, Scruton underwent chemotherapy. He died on 12 January 2020 at the age of 75. I thought I will bring back one of his best interviews in memory of him as an outstanding conservative philosopher. He talks about what conservatism really means.
Sir Roger Vernon Scruton is an English philosopher and writer who specialises in aesthetics and political philosophy, particularly in the furtherance of traditionalist conservative views.
In recent years he taught courses in Buckingham University, Oxford University and University of St. Andrews.
Full interview, licenced under creative common:
• What Conservatism Real...
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[@evolassunglasses4673]

A rare breed. An actual conservative that wants to CONSERVE what is best about his nation and Civilisation.

[@evolassunglasses4673]

If you haven't seen it, KZbin 'Why Beauty Matters' by Roger Scruton. Rest in Peace Great man.

[@someoneyouknow525]

The world lost yet another great mind. Hopefully his words and ideas won't be as fleeting. RIP

[@Trinitypater]

This man was a genius. I couldn’t adore and respect him more.

[@hughhanson9919]

Roger was a true conservative. The world needs more like him to speak up.

[@eS-ql7vm]

I am so pleased to see this Zaytuna excerpt on this channel! As a scholar of the Islamic classical tradition, and a teacher at an institution of classical Western civilization, my mind is nourished by the content being put out by Zaytuna AND by this KZbin channel, and I am just plain delighted that this excerpt will get some serious traction through the platform of this great KZbin channel!

[@briangarrett2427]

Let Sir Roger speak ....

[@eS-ql7vm]

brian garrett remember that this was a publication of Zaytuna, and Scruton was a guest at the event, not the event itself!

[@sharihephzibah3814]

There's a humility in Conservatism (seeing the good, *gratitude* ) that is absent in so-called 'Progressives', with their obsessive focus on everyone *else's* sins, hating everything and grateful for nothing. It's the clash of worldviews: Christianity holds to a realistic view of humanity as sinful, but also has great respect for humanity as being made in God's image. The opposite is true with atheist 'Progressives': They have visions of human perfection, a perfect society achievable without God--while at the same time holding actual humans in contempt and considering their rights and even their lives as expendable. The atheist 'paradises' have proven without exception to be hell on earth. "Within the philosophical system of Marx and Lenin, and at the heart of their psychology, hatred of God is the principal driving force, more fundamental than all their political and economic pretensions. " -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

[@evolassunglasses4673]

Great KZbin video on Roger Scruton is by KEITH WOODS.

[@pokeround]

A great exchange and a fitting tribute, amongst the many possible, for a great thinker. Someday this will be duly recognized. RIP.

[@Iceaxehikes]

A Clean Well Lighted Place for Books. Was a favorite store in Cupertino for me as a kid. I miss real book stores.

[@niad6953]

Is the stores name a homage to Hemingways short story A clean well lighter cafe?

[@Iceaxehikes]

@@niad6953 it may have been! My mom would take me there as a kid so i wasn't reading much Hemmingway back then. Astronomy was my passion.

[@niad6953]

@@Iceaxehikes Well I'd like to think it was a homage to Hemingway, but I am bias. Astronomy always interested me but I must admit I'm not too knowledgable about it.

[@joseantonioalbeldamarco9529]

Absolutely amazing man! Rest in the peace of God Sir Roger Scruton.

[@DrEhrfurchtgebietend]

Berkeley is not liberal. It is progressive and postmodern

[@Animalis_Mundana]

I have one of his books fools frauds abd firebrands. Excellent.

[@pcpc6449]

Glory God 💪💪💪☝☝☝❤❤❤

[@unclejack123]

well - I now know what the moderator thinks - however I don't know Mr. Scruton's views & now He's gone - oh well ....... ;-p

[@birdbyod9372]

5:12 intuition and feeling only. Essentially a theist, very well covered up.

[@Animalis_Mundana]

What are atheists but materialist and naturalist? That's metaphysics and epistemology, a lens we can view the world and ourselves through.

[@MoonChildMedia]

maybe the problem is thinking someone has the "right" to seek power and control other men.

[@pcpc6449]

Georgia Christian orthodox country glory god 💪💪💪☝☝☝❤❤❤

[@JohnBrown-gi8pj]

I introduce you to Afro-No-American Conservatism....

[@JohnBrown-gi8pj]

"African American" values retainment. Great inquiry....

[@kayedal-haddad9294]

Intellectual Conservatism' vs. Intellectual Liberalism'?

[@JohnBrown-gi8pj]

#FREEASSANGENOW

[@levmanou9874]

!!!I It's so easy to destroy.

[@arnabkumarbanerjee8150]

Conservatism is an ism after all. How different is conservat-ism from marx-ism, commune-ism, liberal-ism ?? At least same in name. Are they same in their effect too ?? Before and during two world war the whole world practiced conservat-ism. Did this ism cause 2 world war ??If yes, then other isms caused smaller battles such as riot, civil war or cold war ?? This is one difference I found. Can you find any other difference in effect ??

[@bradbecker8982]

Too bad he’s ultimately still an evil Kantian. I would have loved to trust Sir Roger.

[@elvispelvis5891]

elaborate on that, plz.

[@bradbecker8982]

Traditional conservatives generally hold altruistic morals and ethics, whether religious or secular atheist. This is because they have accepted the modern cultural claim that sacrifice is a virtue, which consequently makes it the highest moral value in any altruistic society. Immanuel Kant originally defined altruism as the morality of full selflessness; which requires sacrifice of the self for the “greater good,” or any other abstract, collectivistic, group-centric notion. Problem is, humans don’t think as a group, we think as individuals. Altruism and equality of anything other than “before the law” are collectivistic ideals that ravage ones capacity for self esteem. It convinces us that we cannot think rationally enough to manage a free market society and have full individual rights... i.e. Freedom We don’t have a God injecting thoughts into our head, we have the ability to reason. When Immanuel Kant wrote his “critique of pure reason,” which was accepted by the church, he claimed humans could not be fully rational and that the “hidden hand” of government and metaphysics always works in mysterious ways for the benefit of all, which inspired minds like Milton Friedman, Adam Smith and Roger Scruton.. but this claim ignores our fundamental capacity to reason, as humans. No knowledge is off limits to someone who seeks the truth and aims to be rational. I’m not an Objectivist because I’m still learning how to fully apply reason over faith, but here are some links to better, more in-depth explanations for these radically rational concepts... I’m happy to discuss, but the videos do better justice.

[@bradbecker8982]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f16ZnKCXl9WZq6s

[@bradbecker8982]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3vPdoxvh76bY68

[@bradbecker8982]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5W9qYWApNhpmck

[@11kravitzn]

I think he said it pretty well: conservatism is giving reasons for having no reasons (i.e. being irrational). It's how you justify to yourself your greed, bigotry, cruelty, and exploitation of others and still convince yourself you're not a bad person. And its very lucrative. Well, as Max Planck said, science advances one funeral at a time.

[@robfrancis7561]

I guess that's the point where you stopped listening and thinking Rex.

[@MrXaphus]

With respect, if only you knew how literal minded a conclusion that really is. There is such a thing as the metaphysics, but materialists have never done a great job of understanding qualia, so they tend to a priori dismiss it as of no import. As Sir Roger has himself suggested, explaining the finer nuances of conservatism to people is like a creature from the third dimension trying to explain to a creature from the second dimension what the third dimension is like. But the only way the second dimension creature can understand the challenges of the creature from the third dimension's task is if it tried to explain what the second dimension is like to a creature from the first dimension. Unless you've engaged with a spiritual tradition of some kind and identified with it, it seems generally very difficult to appreciate a realm beyond earthly experience.

[@11kravitzn]

@@MrXaphus Explain to me what spirituality or metaphysics has to do with universal healthcare, higher top marginal tax rates, debt forgiveness, etc.

[@MrXaphus]

​@@11kravitzn Depends what question you're really asking. Are you asking in an obvious sense - how do spirituality and metaphysics relate to the policies you've described in terms of implementation? More than you think. Or are you asking in the unobvious sense - how do spirituality and metaphysics relate to the policies you've described in terms of design? More than you think.

[@11kravitzn]

@@MrXaphus Give me a flavor for how they relate "more than [I] think".

[@gingerbee6660]

Bok!🤮