To quote from the tweets:
So yes, it seems she may at least accept American "philosophical conservatism" as on the "reason" end, but as should be clear from my comments, I don't really consider that authentically "right wing" (except by comparison within the narrow "Overton window" of present mainstream discourse), because it, like the American Revolution as a whole, is based in the liberal "Enlightenment" stream. As Dr. Antonova said,
That's one area where I agree more with the left than the "mainstream conservatism", is that I agree that many of the policies of the Left which those of us on the right oppose do indeed follow from the "Enlightenment" principles on which America was founded. (But since I expect those policies to be utterly disastrous for those I consider my people, I therefore find myself opposing those "Enlightenment" principles, and rejecting centuries of political "development".)
"If you
wish to converse with me, define your
terms."
--Voltaire
Quote:So here’s a little background on where the R-L spectrum comes from and the diffs btwn philosophical conservatism and a radical right.So I read that as saying the "right-left spectrum", at least with the "radical right" at one end, as coming out of the "Enlightenment" and French Revolution "epic battle between reason and unreason."
(BTW, absolute best way 2 understand these important issues is taking a Western Civ course common in college general education programs. Will give u more context more memorably than philosophy or polisci or econ versions, yet few take that course, to detriment of our society)
I frame my course on modern European history (French Revolution to the present) as an “epic battle between reason and unreason.” IOW, the Enlightenment posed a question to Europe: what happens if we use reason (not tradition or religion) to govern ourselves?
My course (& my research) follows many varied responses & notes how assumptions ab reason informed other developments, like nationalism.
So yes, it seems she may at least accept American "philosophical conservatism" as on the "reason" end, but as should be clear from my comments, I don't really consider that authentically "right wing" (except by comparison within the narrow "Overton window" of present mainstream discourse), because it, like the American Revolution as a whole, is based in the liberal "Enlightenment" stream. As Dr. Antonova said,
Quote:Edmund Burke took his place as a figurehead for mainstream conservative philosophy, but he was basically a liberal. IOW, he accepted rights, but wanted them to go only so far. That’s the “conservatism” Americans inherited (Burke favored American independence), but it’s just one, most liberal kind.American "conservatism" has generally failed to conserve anything, because, as she notes, it's about accepting the same premises as the left, but then fighting to limit their application. It generally ends up defending "unprincipled exceptions" to the axioms of the "Enlightenment."
That's one area where I agree more with the left than the "mainstream conservatism", is that I agree that many of the policies of the Left which those of us on the right oppose do indeed follow from the "Enlightenment" principles on which America was founded. (But since I expect those policies to be utterly disastrous for those I consider my people, I therefore find myself opposing those "Enlightenment" principles, and rejecting centuries of political "development".)
"If you
wish to converse with me, define your
terms."
--Voltaire