- Paperback: 289 pages
- Publisher: Regnery Publishing; Revised Edition edition (Dec 1 1989)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0895267616
- ISBN-13: 978-0895267610
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 13.9 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 354 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,590,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Arguing against doomsayers, Dr. Kirk points to youthfulness of American civilization, and the inevitable patterns of decadence and renewal that need not presage cultural apocalypse.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Have We Any Hope?,
By Steve Jackson "stevejackson100atyahoocom" (New England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Prospects for Conservatives (Paperback)
Russell Kirk's PROSPECTS FOR CONSERVATIVES was first published in 1954 as A PROGRAM FOR CONSERVATIVES and was from time to time updated. It might be the most fundamental statement of Kirk's philosophy. This version, which came out in 1989, was the final revision. Kirk was, of course, one of the premier conservative thinkers in the second half of the twentieth century. He wrote 30 books, hundreds of articles, and a weekly column for 14 years (which unfortunately has not been reprinted). I certainly enjoyed this work, and it shares the strengths and weaknesses of Kirk's writings. Although well written, its arguments can be a bit hard to follow. As Kirk says, he's setting forth general principles, not recommending specific politicians or plans. If you are used to the "take no prisoners" approach of Murray Rothbard, you might find Kirk's writings a bit slow going. Kirk was not a libertarian (in fact, they were frequent targets of his). He probably wasn't a "minimal government conservative" either. On the other hand, he was a staunch opponent of the centralizing leviathan state. For example, he opposed the federal school lunch program and opposed the US attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He even went so far as to say "[a]fter all our humanitarian bragging, in the course of the war [WW II], we behaved precisely as we accused our enemies of behaving. [p. 224.] You certainly don't hear that opinion much expressed on the neocon "right" these days. This book is an excellent place to start if you want to understand Kirk's though. In particular, chapter 7 - "The Question of Wants" - is quintessentially Kirkian. His recently republished THE AMERICAN CAUSE is a more basic statement of his views.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long Views,
By
This review is from: Prospects for Conservatives (Paperback)
During several revisions of this book the title was altered from "Program" to "Prospects." Kirk thought it was folly, and the work of the ideologue, to prescribe a uniform code of action for all people of all times for all issues. He preferred long views. Where The Conservative Mind was a document in the history of ideas, Prospects for Conservatives was as close as he came to writing a philosophy and its application.Kirk's interest in first principles over the issues of the day meant that he was often able to create a consensus across the political spectrum. He sought political wisdom over political carping. This is not to say that Prospects gets lost in the clouds. More than most thinkers, Kirk was grounded in the realities of his time, stringing his eloquent prose with literary allusion, quotation, example, fable, and myth. Just so the Wizard of Mecosta spun the dross of theory into the gold of inquiry. Prospects was divided into what Kirk considered the eight most urgent questions facing today's conservatives: mind, or how to redeem intellect from the uniformity of a mass-age; heart, how to affirm the needs of the spirit and conscience; boredom, the ubiquity of ennui in an industrialized and standardized society; social justice, how to keep greed and envy at bay; wants, an understanding of just and unjust desires; order, the preservation of variety; power, how it may be limited and governed properly; and tradition, the maintenance of continuity between generations. I recalled Buckley's remark that Kirk seemed to have read everything. Few if any conservatives today are as well-read, particularly when it came to opposing views. In these pages there are some interesting, brief discussions of men of the Left such as John Dewey, Thorstein Veblen, and David Riesman. One thing that I found interesting in this particular volume was the number of times Kirk emphasized, like Edmund Burke, the compatibility of conservatism and change. In the introduction he wrote that "the modern conservative must improvise and create, as well as obey prejudice and prescription." That remark will probably come as a shock to those who define conservatism incorrectly as antipathy to change. Kirk understood the power and importance of imagination, which is not something I have heard often from Republican leaders. Prospects is as concise and complete articulation of a world view that Kirk was likely to undertake. There is nothing exactly like it in his impressive body of work.
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5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review) 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Have We Any Hope?,
By Steve Jackson "stevejackson100atyahoocom" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Prospects for Conservatives (Paperback)
Russell Kirk's PROSPECTS FOR CONSERVATIVES was first published in 1954 as A PROGRAM FOR CONSERVATIVES and was from time to time updated. It might be the most fundamental statement of Kirk's philosophy. This version, which came out in 1989, was the final revision. Kirk was, of course, one of the premier conservative thinkers in the second half of the twentieth century. He wrote 30 books, hundreds of articles, and a weekly column for 14 years (which unfortunately has not been reprinted). I certainly enjoyed this work, and it shares the strengths and weaknesses of Kirk's writings. Although well written, its arguments can be a bit hard to follow. As Kirk says, he's setting forth general principles, not recommending specific politicians or plans. If you are used to the "take no prisoners" approach of Murray Rothbard, you might find Kirk's writings a bit slow going. Kirk was not a libertarian (in fact, they were frequent targets of his). He probably wasn't a "minimal government conservative" either. On the other hand, he was a staunch opponent of the centralizing leviathan state. For example, he opposed the federal school lunch program and opposed the US attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He even went so far as to say "[a]fter all our humanitarian bragging, in the course of the war [WW II], we behaved precisely as we accused our enemies of behaving. [p. 224.] You certainly don't hear that opinion much expressed on the neocon "right" these days. This book is an excellent place to start if you want to understand Kirk's though. In particular, chapter 7 - "The Question of Wants" - is quintessentially Kirkian. His recently republished THE AMERICAN CAUSE is a more basic statement of his views. |
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