The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 6 of 10)

Russell Kirk, Postmodern Conservative? : /p> p>Thanks for the interview with Russello about Kirk. I don't know much about Kirk, but he seems to follow the advice of Friedrich Hayek, who wrote in The Fatal Conceit that we should respect traditional values as the accumulated wisdom of the ages while allowing for experimentation. Socialists want to destroy all tradition and start reasoning from a blank slate. Hayek suggested that we show some humility and place the burden of proof on those who want to change traditional values. This seems to be what Kirk suggests, too. Instead of specifying which traditions we will preserve, maybe conservatives should have the attitude that we will allow discussion and experimentation with all traditional values while maintaining a high standard of proof (such as beyond reasonable doubt) for overthrowing any of them. br> -- Roger D. McKinney br> Broken Arrow, Oklahoma /p> p> ROAD RANGE br> Re: Eric Peters's Electric Shock :

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