True Conservatism by Anthony T Kronman
Drawing on the riches of Western tradition, Anthony T. Kronman defends a humane conservatism for our enlightened age “Rigorous and philosophically demanding, Kronman’s book invites principled argument from every side.”—Kirkus Reviews As the party of the left has grown more strident, its conservative critics have responded in kind. Each year conservatives do a poorer job of defending their position as a citadel of human values without lapsing into an angry assault on ideals that they and progressives share. It becomes harder to see the enduring appeal of a true conservatism that celebrates the worth of custom and inheritance; the splendor of what is excellent and rare; the expansive solidarity of our friendship with the dead; and the dignity, indeed necessity, of our longing for a connection to the eternal and divine—while affirming that these timeless human goods are compatible with the modern ideals of equality, toleration, and reasoned argument. In this bracing book, Anthony T. Kronman defends a conservative philosophy of life that respects our enlightened ideals but decries the damage their arrogant simplification causes in our moral, political, and spiritual lives. Drawing on the work of Aristotle, Cicero, Spinoza, Burke, Hume, Madison, Tocqueville, Lincoln, Arendt, Heidegger, and others, he argues that humanism is conservatism, today as in the past. He reminds us that our humbling parameters make possible every form of human greatness, every human glory, every human love worthy of the name.
“A book of conservatism on guard for its vices as well as its virtues, and addressed to opponents more than devoteesAnthony Kronman, a friend of liberty and human greatness, writes for readers who think and enjoy the best.”—Harvey C. Mansfield, Harvard University
“What do you get when a fine mind, furnished with broad and deep knowledge of the best that has been thought and said by the greatest thinkers in the Western tradition, wrestles with the most profound questions facing us as human beings? You get a book like Professor Kronman’s True Conservatism.”—Robert P. George, Princeton University
“Anthony Kronman challenges the shallow prejudices of the moment with philosophical depth and his characteristic verve. His humane conservatism will go far in lifting us out of today’s ideological impasse—so long as we are enlightened enough to take its arguments seriously.”—Bryan Garsten, author of Saving Persuasion: A Defense of Rhetoric and Judgment
“What do you get when a fine mind, furnished with broad and deep knowledge of the best that has been thought and said by the greatest thinkers in the Western tradition, wrestles with the most profound questions facing us as human beings? You get a book like Professor Kronman’s True Conservatism.”—Robert P. George, Princeton University
“Anthony Kronman challenges the shallow prejudices of the moment with philosophical depth and his characteristic verve. His humane conservatism will go far in lifting us out of today’s ideological impasse—so long as we are enlightened enough to take its arguments seriously.”—Bryan Garsten, author of Saving Persuasion: A Defense of Rhetoric and Judgment
Anthony T. Kronman is Sterling Professor of Law and a former dean of Yale Law School. He is the author of Education’s End; Confessions of a Born-Again Pagan; The Assault on American Excellence; and After Disbelief. He lives on Block Island, RI.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780300277036 |
| ISBN 10 | 0300277032 |
| Title | True Conservatism |
| Author | Anthony T Kronman |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Yale University Press |
| Year published | 2025-05-27 |
| Number of pages | 328 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |