I’ve been doing some reading over the summer and the past year or two and to conclude the summer I’ve picked out a few non-fiction books I’ve come across that I felt were good for conservatives.
Now, with one exception, these are not “foundational texts” of conservatism so that means no Bible or Federalist Papers and no Chesterton, either. Mostly because I’ve not read through all of the Federalist Papers yet (on my list). Anyway, it is just 5 books I think are good for conservatives of the modern era to have read or be reading.
1.) The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek: The one “foundational” text I’m posting was written in 1944 warning Britain about the dangers of big government is still worth a read. He articulates how the necessities of centralized economic planning inevitably do damage to political freedom. Amazon.com
2.) Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell: A bit of a cheat here as I have not actually finished this book, it is a lengthy tome, and I own the Fourth Edition, not the Fifth I listed in the Amazon link, but I’ve read a sizable chunk of it and what I’ve read tells me that this should be by your desk or otherwise prominently displayed. It is the Bible of Free Market economics, explaining just why the big government schemes are doomed to fail. If you want something shorter then I recommend Henry Hazlitt’s Economics in One Lesson. I’ve also heard good things about Sowell’s Economic Facts and Fallacies. Amazon (5th Ed.)
3.) Life at the Bottom by Theodore Dalrymple: If there is a more searing indictment of the impact of the Welfare state I have not read it. This collection of essays, composed while Dalrymple (real name: Dr. Anthony Daniels) was working as a doctor in the poorest parts of London are fascinating, depressing, and sometimes downright infuriating. It is also on Kindle for $3.99. Amazon
4.) Conservatarian Manifesto by Charles C.W. Cooke: Here National Review’s Charles C. W. Cooke, touching on a variety of issues from federalism to abortion to foreign policy, crafts a brilliant manifesto for the Right in the early-21st century. Even if you don’t entirely agree with everything he has to say, it is a great jumping off point for discussion. Amazon
5.) The World America Made by Robert Kagan: The foreign policy one was tough but I had to settle on this one since it makes the case for why America must not retreat from the world. It punctures holes in the claims of liberals who think a multipolar world would be just as, if not more, free and safe and libertarians who think America can retreat from the world while still engaging in free trade, arguing that it is a unipolar world under American dominance that ensures those things. Superpowers craft countries in their own image and an American-dominated world means a more free world while a world dominated by countries other than the US, say Russia or China, may mean a less free world. We should not trade in the good in the vain pursuit of the perfect. Amazon
Honorable Mention:
—“What We Have to Lose” by Theodore Dalrymple: Just an article here but good enough. Written for City Journal in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, “What We Have to Lose” is a beautiful defense of civilization. It is in the anthology, Our Culture —What’s Left of It, also a good read. City Journal, Amazon
—Invisible Armies by Max Boot: An excellent history of guerrilla warfare from ancient times to modern day, disproving the constant refrains that (1) guerrilla warfare is exclusively “Eastern”, when in fact it has been consistently used around the world by weak armies, and (2) it is unbeatable. Amazon
—Seven Deadly Virtues, edited by Jonathan V. Last: This is collection of short essays, each written by a different conservative writer and edited together by Jonathan Last, is a fun, but also serious, tour through each of the virtues, starting with the Seven Virtues of Prudence, Temperance, Justice, Courage, Faith, Hope, and Love and continuing onto others such as Integrity, Fellowship, Chastity, and Perseverance. The writers include Jonah Goldberg (Integrity), the blogger Iowahawk (Hope), Christopher Buckley (Perseverance) and P.J. O’Rourke (the introduction). Worth a read. Amazon
—Liberal Fascism/Tyranny of Clichés by Jonah Goldberg: You’ve probably read or heard of the first one, Liberal Fascism, which points out, with an incredible amount of research, the similar roots of fascism and progressivism. Tyranny of Clichés is sort-of a follow-up to Liberal Fascism, it hits a broader range of topics, though, but is more of a careful debunking, through logic and history, of liberal clichés that now pervade modern thought. Liberal Fascism, Tyranny of Clichés
—“The Coddling of the American Mind” by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt: Another article, this one from The Atlantic. Lukianoff, head of the brilliant organization the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, and psychologist Jonathan Haidt point out just why the current campus obsession with speech codes and “safe spaces” is harmful to the psychological well-being of the students, including the ones being “protected”. Atlantic
—Imperial Grunts/Blue Water Grunts by Robert Kaplan: These two-books, released in the mid-2000s, each provide a good overview of America’s presence overseas and debunk the Ron Paul false dilemma that in order to have a presence around the world we have to be constantly invading everywhere. Imperial Grunts, Blue Water Grunts
Any thoughts? Additions? (I hope so) Subtractions? (I hope not)
10 comments:
I have to add my two! :D
"The Conservative Guide to Film" (LINK)
and
"Agenda 2016: How Conservatism Can Rise From The Ashes" LINK
Andrew,
I read those. That hack writer has no idea what he's talking about, especially the one on film. ;-)
I kid, I kid. I enjoyed both of them. I really liked the film one. The author, whoever he was, did an excellent job elucidating basic conservative principles by looking at famous movies and separating them from those of the left. Somewhere Buckley and Reagan are smiling.
The Mises Institute makes a condensed version of The Road to Serfdom available as a free PDF. And if that's still to much for you, I recommend the companion, The Road to Serfdom in Cartoons LINK, amazingly originally published by General Motors.
Also, wasn't there a 1960s beach romp called "The Road to Surfdom"? Maybe I'm just imagining that one.
Thanks Kit. I think they are both well worth the read! :D
Tyranmax,
You are probably just imagining that one.
tryanmax, So it's a surf movie made by National Review? ;-)
Well, it's sad to see summer, the best season of them all, come to an end. It never lasts long enough, especially up here. (Man, I really need to move to the South or Southwest.) So fare thee well, sights (note: I say this as a single man) of summer.
But on the bright side, only six more days until the start of college football!
Go Gophers! (a.k.a. Go B1G!) Go Utes!
Breaking News: In the event you thought your school's football team had fallen on hard times, just thank your lucky stars and be happy you're not Illinois.
This afternoon, only a week before the season opener, the Fighting Illini have fired head coach Tim Beckman.
I'm not an expert on Beckman and Illinois. (In fact, I'd bet few people outside the B1G West Division are.) However, his name is always popping up as examples of disaster and embarrassment on B1G blogs.
Here's the announcement: LINK
Here's a little background: LINK In summary, after near-sideline fights with assistants and turning press conferences into shouting matches, the final blow came after Beckman tried to force players to play through injuries and manipulated the actions of the team's medical staff.
Good riddance, I say.
Okay, it's true that football players try to play through minor injuries here and there. But Beckman is accused of forcing players to play through serious injuries that should have sidelined them. You know what? We've already had enough of that in the Midwest.
Last year, (and yes, since this is a serious post, I'll use that school's real name), then-Michigan coach Brady Hoke was accused of sending quarterback Shane Morris back into a game against Minnesota despite showing concussion symptoms. Long story short, Morris was sent to replace ineffective Devin Gardner. Morris was hurt and taken out. After showing signs of head injury (all caught on camera), Hoke ordered Morris back in the game. The move was blasted by the team doctors. Hoke claimed they failed to tell him about Morris' condition. So, Hoke was either an ass, or he didn't have the most basic sideline communication set up. Either way, that game was his end. The program had gone steadily downhill since his 2011 arrival. AD Dave Brandon had alienated the fans. (Thousands of UM students staged a protest outside his house after this.) But this action- more than just the loss to Minnesota and losing the Little Brown Jug- did Hoke in at the end of the year.
This is pathetic. If a player is hurt and the doc says it's okay to play and not very serious, then fine. If not, any coach who tells a player to risk his health deserves to be thrown out in the street and have his suitcase thrown at him as he leaves.
May Beckman and Hoke never see a major program job again.
And since this is a literature thread, well, try reading this inside look at the Illini. No, seriously. Take a look at this post from Off Tackle Empire.
LINK
Believe me. You'll thank your lucky stars your school's program isn't Illinois.
Those are great, Kit. I would also recommend Sowell's book, Applied Economics.
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