Podcast Summary
Choosing a side and actively working towards societal changes: To make a difference, choose conservatism for its constructive, optimistic, and creative vision, and join organizations like the Edmund Burke Foundation to promote this vision.
If you want to make a difference and not be a bystander in the face of societal changes, you need to choose a side and actively work towards improving it. Liberalism, which has dominated since the second World War, no longer holds the same power, and an alternative is needed. Conservatism, as discussed in Yoram Hazani's book, offers a constructive, optimistic, and creative vision. It's more than just opposing the idiocy of wokeness; it's about building and offering a positive, inspiring view of life. The Edmund Burke Foundation, founded by Hazani and colleagues, is an international organization that promotes this vision through the National Conservatism Conferences. The challenge for those seeking a middle ground is to understand what conservatism stands for and what it can offer to young people looking for a guiding philosophy.
Understanding Liberalism and Conservatism as Distinct Worldviews: Liberalism and conservatism represent different ways of understanding politics and life. Conservatism focuses on inheritance, traditions, and building upon them, while liberalism emphasizes individual freedom and equality. Both must unite against common threats and offer a compelling vision for passing down values to future generations.
Liberalism and conservatism represent two distinct worldviews in understanding politics and life. While liberalism emphasizes individual freedom and equality, consent, and the role of government to protect rights, conservatism focuses on the inheritance of family, nation, and religious traditions, and the importance of preserving and building upon them. Conservatism is a creative project, and both groups must unite against the common threat of the "woke cultural revolution." However, it's crucial to provide a compelling vision for why individuals should join the fight. Conservatives believe that being part of an inheritance and passing it down is essential for human happiness and making decisions. By asking what we'd like to pass down to future generations, we can begin to understand our place in the world and make informed choices. Traditional worldviews, including Christian, Jewish, nationalist, and conservative, provide a sense of continuity and purpose.
Preserving Inherited Values and Fighting for Them: Emphasizing the importance of inherited values, learning from the past, and building on strengths to create a better future.
Many worldviews emphasize the importance of preserving inherited values and fighting for them, as they shape our identity and provide meaning in life. These values, such as religion, nation, family, and honor, have been under attack by ideologies like wokeism, which seeks to overthrow traditional concepts. As a conservative, one doesn't have to be religious, but having a moral framework to guide actions and build a better society is essential for most people. Religion, like any human institution, has its flaws, but it can also provide valuable moral guidance and community. The challenge is to learn from the past, address its mistakes, and build on its strengths to create a better future.
Join a community to improve human life and work towards making it better: Instead of sitting on the sidelines, individuals should join a community they believe in and work towards making it better to avoid the potential consequences of ideological destruction and lack of a viable alternative.
Every ideology, whether it's religious or political, has its flaws and instances of evil. However, instead of sitting on the sidelines, individuals should join a community they believe improves human life and work towards making it better. The ongoing trend of wokeism, a descendant of Marxism, seeks to destroy dominant liberalism and replace it with ongoing revolution, potentially leading to a communist-like society. To avoid this, a sophisticated and healthy conservatism could serve as a replacement. The historical evidence of the Soviet Union and the claim that injustice is the result of the evil done in the name of liberalism highlights the potential consequences of not taking a side and allowing dominant ideologies to be destroyed without a viable alternative.
Marxism and Neo-Marxism: Uprooting Values and Silencing Opponents: Instead of focusing on economic classes or identity groups, we should emphasize relationships and community for meaning, fulfillment, and connection.
Marxism, whether in its traditional or neo-Marxist form, has a history of uprooting and destroying both conservative and liberal values. Neo-Marxism, with its focus on identity groups instead of economic classes, may seem like an improvement, but it still seeks to silence and oppose those who disagree. Instead, we should focus on offering meaning, fulfillment, and connection through our relationships with others. Nationalism, a term that has become highly controversial, is not inherently racist or xenophobic. It can be part of a larger, inherited scheme of ideas that allows us to find meaning and truth in our reality. To detoxify it, we may need to reframe it and emphasize its positive aspects, such as a sense of community and shared identity.
The complex history of nationalism from ancient texts to modern times: Nationalism promotes unique identity and sovereignty, but it's important to recognize its nuances and historical context to avoid oversimplifying it as a negative concept
The concept of nationalism, which advocates for the independence and self-determination of nations, has a rich history dating back to ancient political texts like the Bible. Initially, it was seen as a progressive idea that promotes tolerance and diversity, allowing different societies to chart their unique paths. However, the term has been tarnished in recent times, often associated with hate speech, closed borders, and extremist ideologies. It's essential to recognize the nuances and historical context of nationalism to avoid oversimplifying it as a negative concept. The Bible, as an ancient political document, presents a strong argument for nationalism, emphasizing the importance of independent nations and their freedom to choose their own leaders and ways of life. Ultimately, a nationalist is someone who values the unique identity and sovereignty of their nation while promoting tolerance and learning from other nations.
Understanding the Differences Between Putin's and Hitler's Nationalism: Putin's nationalism is about recognizing the value of each nation and its people, while respecting boundaries. Hitler's was about biological competition and dominance.
While Putin may be building Russian nationalism, he is primarily an imperialist. Hitler, on the other hand, used the term "nationalism" but had a fundamentally different definition, treating it as a call for biological competition and dominance over other races. The speaker argues against abandoning the term "nationalism" entirely and instead advocates for its continued use as a description for a proposal for a better world order that recognizes the value of each nation and its people. Nationalism, in this sense, is a virtue that allows for the pursuit of what is good and worthy within one's own nation while respecting the boundaries and freedom of other nations.
Nationalism vs Liberal Imperialism: Different Approaches to Imposing Beliefs: Nationalism emphasizes cultural differences and is less likely to impose beliefs, while liberal imperialism believes it has the answer for all and attempts to impose its worldview, with failed attempts seen in Iraq and Afghanistan. Conservatism recognizes the importance of different traditions.
While nationalism and liberal imperialism share the belief that one's way of life is superior, they differ in their approaches to imposing it on other countries. Nationalism, as a political theory, can't be easily replaced, and its emphasis on cultural differences makes it less likely to impose beliefs on others. In contrast, liberal imperialism, rooted in the universal claims of enlightenment liberalism, believes it has the answer for how all human beings should live, leading to attempts to impose its worldview on other countries, regardless of cultural differences. This was exemplified in the failed attempts to bring liberal democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan. Conservatism, on the other hand, recognizes the importance of different traditions and doesn't claim to have a universal answer for all times and places. The discussion also touched upon the analogy of a public shaving machine, highlighting the flawed assumption that a one-size-fits-all solution can work for everyone.
Recognizing the uniqueness of traditions vs. imposing them on others: Reflect on inherited traditions, work to preserve and pass them down, rather than relying on liberalism to resist woke Neo-Marxist ideologies.
The tension between recognizing the uniqueness of one's traditions and the right to impose them on others has been a long-standing debate in Jewish, Christian, and common law traditions. John Fortescue, in his 1400s work "A Praise of the Laws of England," argued that while the English common law was superior, it wasn't suitable for all nations due to their unique economic, religious, and cultural conditions. The challenge lies in making the conservative and nationalist ideas appealing to younger generations, who may be drawn to the woke Neo-Marxist ideologies threatening personal and societal values. Instead of relying on liberalism, which has failed to provide adequate resistance, people must reflect on their inherited traditions and work to preserve and pass them down for future generations.
Lack of foundation in liberal societies leaves young people vulnerable to radical ideologies: Liberal societies' focus on individual freedom and self-determination has left a void in the transmission of values and obligations, making young people susceptible to adopting radical ideologies like Marxism
The overemphasis on individual freedom and self-determination in liberal societies, as espoused by philosophers like Locke and Spinoza, has left a gap in the transmission of values, traditions, and obligations necessary for a stable and sustainable society. This vacuum has led many young people to turn to ideologies like Marxism, which offer a different set of values and beliefs. The speaker argues that liberal societies, by eliminating God, scripture, tradition, and obligations, have failed to provide a solid foundation for the next generation. Consequently, when young people are left to figure things out for themselves in college without any inheritance or role models, they may end up adopting radical ideologies like Marxism.
Societal context shapes perspectives on marriage and child-rearing: Societies with high birth rates and early marriages provide models for essential family skills, while societies with declining birth rates and late marriages may lack these models, leading to challenges in raising well-adjusted children. Differences in societal norms can impact perspectives on freedoms, requiring understanding and collaboration.
The societal context in which we grow up significantly shapes our perspectives and abilities, particularly regarding marriage and child-rearing. Societies with high birth rates and early marriages provide models for young people to learn essential skills for building strong families and maintaining traditions. Conversely, in societies with declining birth rates and late marriages, individuals may lack these models and face challenges in raising well-adjusted children. While there may be areas of agreement between liberalism and conservatism, there is a fundamental disagreement on the importance and nature of certain freedoms, such as free speech. Understanding these differences and learning from each other can help foster productive alliances and collaborations.
The importance of free speech as a learned tradition: Conservatives argue for the balance of free speech with other necessary goods, the government's role in maintaining the nation, and the economic challenges for young people in upholding conservative values
The concept of free speech is not a natural phenomenon but rather a learned tradition that needs to be inculcated through custom and tradition. Conservatives argue that freedom of speech is primarily related to political speech and should be balanced with other necessary goods. They also believe that the government has a responsibility to maintain the nation and ensure different groups have loyalty and allegiance towards each other. The economic aspect of this conversation was missing, and it's challenging for young people to be conservative when the wealth gap is growing and access to property is becoming more difficult. The purpose of government, according to conservatives, is not just to defend individual freedoms but also to maintain the nation and ensure different groups have a degree of allegiance and trust with one another.
Shift from traditional conservatism to neoliberalism in post-WW2 conservative parties: Post-WW2 conservative parties adopted a form of liberalism, prioritizing a liberal international order, which moved away from traditional conservative elements like nationalism, religion, and moral values, making modern conservatism incompatible with globalization and the push for a borderless world
The traditional concept of one nation conservatism, which aims to introduce a minimum social safety net, was a response to the societal ruptures caused by industrialization and wealth concentration. However, post-World War 2, the conservative parties in the UK, US, and Europe adopted a form of liberalism that prioritized a liberal international order, which is more accurately labeled as neoliberalism. This shift moved away from the traditional elements of conservatism, such as nationalism, religion, and moral values. As a result, some believe that the modern conservative parties, like the Tories in the UK, have strayed from the original conservative principles. This version of conservatism, which emphasizes a strong social safety net, respect for borders, and preservation of traditional values, is seen as incompatible with globalization and the push for a borderless world and a single global legal system.
Preserving Individual Nations and their Unique Identities: Emphasizing the importance of individual nations and their unique identities, Hazony warns against imposing ideas from Brussels or Washington on the world and encourages people to learn more about national conservatism in his book 'Conservatism, a Rediscovery'.
Learning from this conversation with Yoram Hazony is that while cooperation and exchange between nations are important, a common government or governance over all nations is not the answer. Hazony emphasized the importance of preserving individual nations and their unique identities, and warned against the dangers of imposing ideas from Brussels or Washington on the whole world. He also highlighted the issue of young people being afraid to have children and what it might indicate. Hazony recommended his book "Conservatism, a Rediscovery" for those interested in learning more about the national conservatism movement. He encouraged people to visit nationalconservatism.org for more information. Hazony also mentioned the potential dangers of the political pendulum swinging too far to the left or the right, bypassing conservatism altogether. Before ending the conversation, he invited listeners to join their exclusive member feed for ad-free and extended interviews.
