Revised “Traditionalism — what and why?”
I’ve revised the text of my recent draft essay on tradition and conservatism in response to comments. Any further comments would be very welcome.
James Kalb
Traditionalism — what and why?
Here’s an initial sketch of a discussion of traditionalist conservatism that attempts to develop it out of a general analysis of social organization. I would be very grateful for any comments.
… More ...Understanding Conservatism and Tradition [8th state]
To understand conservatism we must understand how conservatives differ from leftists and libertarians.
Basic oppositions in politics usually
Computers and schools
No surprise: Internet in schools fails to improve results. However, it did provide a way to avoid thinking about educational problems.
Women and madness
Feminism necessarily means the abolition of common sense. Common sense presumes the correctness of ordinary human reactions. Feminism can’t live with that, because it can’t live with the sexual differentiation that is basic to human life. Even the most moderate and mainstream feminism turns the radical transformation of human nature into a requirement of basic … More ...
More weird 9/11 fallout
Shocking events like September 11 provoke new variations on human weirdness: German faces jail for ‘ironic’ remark . Apparently, someone on an Internet message board said “Yay for killing Taleban POWs” and one Holger Voss answered “Yay 9/11 murderers.” The consequence was that the German police arrested poor Holger, and now he’s on trial for … More ...
Profiling “expertise”
In America today, everything is supposed to depend on what experts say, so it’s worth looking at the experts and expertise behind the anti-profiling movement: Better Unsafe Than (Occasionally) Sorry. It turns out that when the anti-profiling case is put in order it really does claim—as we suggested somewhat ironically a few days ago—that … More ...
Oxford follies
Still suffer from Anglophilia? Read this: Bill Clinton heads Oxford’s wishlist for new Chancellor. The Times of London article notes that “If he indicates that he would like the post he would be a hot favourite among younger graduates and dons dazzled by his star appeal.”
Religious freedom in America
The Catholic bishops are challenging a New York law that requires Catholic institutions to include contraceptives in employee medical coverage. The law, which we’ve mentioned before, is a violation of the most basic respect for the religious convictions of others. However, a similar challenge was rejected not long ago in California, and it’s … More ...
Scholastic due process
The abolition of common sense, chapter whatever: Scottish schools warned as detentions risk breaching pupils’ human rights. The issue is that the European Convention on Human Rights says that “No one shall be deprived of his liberty save in the following cases and in accordance with a procedure prescribed by law … the detention … More ...
ACLU targets vulnerable Americans
According to ACLU attorney Jayashri Srikantiah, “The government’s [post-9/11] activities target the most vulnerable group: immigrants, especially Muslims.” Why do people and organizations who say such things get any respect? Cantor Fitzgerald employees were vulnerable when someone decided to injure them, and the ones who were at their desks September 11 died. Does the … More ...