By Hunter Baker on 12.29.08 @ 9:55PM
It is nearly New Year's Eve and the time of reflection is greatly
upon us. This reality is especially poignant in the wake of
a revolutionary left-liberal presidential victory and the onset
of substantial economic challenges.
The American Spectator is well-known as a flagship
publication of the conservative-libertarian movement (Yes,
Virginia, there still is one.), so I thought now might be a good
time to propose a list of outstanding books for the
intellectually curious AmSpec friend or fellow traveler.
I would not dare attempt to put these in order based on
excellence. Just consider it a series of number ones.
-
Lancelot by Walker Percy -- A southern
moderate-liberal is slowly fading out of his own life. He
doesn't know what his purpose is or where his marriage and
family are going. But then, something strange
happens. He discovers there is such a thing as
evil. Percy won the National Book Award for The
Moviegoer, but
Lancelot is my favorite.
-
Witness by Whittaker Chambers -- Surely, the
greatest memoir of any man of the right. Possibly, the
greatest memoir ever. I once tried to copy out the
passages that meant the most to me and ended up just typing in
whole pages at a time. For those too young to know,
Chambers was an American traitor loyal to the Communist cause,
who left the Communists for what he felt was the losing
side. He had to do it because of his recovered belief in
God. In the course of his life, he became a senior editor
of Time magazine and ultimately defeated Alger Hiss in
legal battles over Hiss's identity as a communist agent.
Since Frost/Nixon is hot, you might also know that
Richard Nixon's presidency would likely never have happened
without his championing of Chambers' cause.
-
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand -- I can't resist
putting Chambers and Rand together, especially since Chambers
was the instrument William F. Buckley used to read Rand out of
the conservative movement. As a Christian, I find Rand's
work antithetical to my own sensibilities, but I have to admit
its power. Besides, this is a conservative-libertarian
list and she can't be left off. On the other hand, as
literature, it cannot rank with the greats. I still
remember the moment when John Galt grabs a microphone to speak
to the nation . . . and one hundred pages later is wrapping it
up!
-
After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre -- This is
arguably the finest and most readable piece of political
philosophy I have ever encountered. Anyone who wonders
why our political discourse has become so poisonous and
incommensurate should read this work. So, for that
matter, should anyone interested in answering John Rawls.
George W. Bush would have known long ago that "the new tone"
was destined to fail, if only he'd read his MacIntyre.
-
Anarchy, Utopia, and the State by Robert Nozick --
I'll make this one simple. Robert Nozick provides the
most convincing case for a minimalist state that I've ever
seen. You can break your head on his symbols and
formulas, but bear with it because you WILL get it if you keep
reading. Even if you were only to read the short portion
where he tells his "tale of the slave" you will be confirmed in
your libertarian instincts.
-
Man and the State by Jacques Maritain -- This
collection of lectures about the relationship between the
individual, the culture, and the state contains the kind of
essential thought we wish every politician understood.
Careful, wise, insightful. You will understand many
things better after reading Maritain. If you would like to read
political philosophy, but have been afraid to start, this may
be your entry point.
-
Stained Glass by William F. Buckley -- William F.
Buckley is dead and I don't feel so good, myself.
However, I am comforted by reading his best works. This
Blackford Oakes heart of the Cold War novel is one of his
strongest entries. You want to see the kind of chess
match the Soviets and Americans were playing? Then, read
this Buckley spy novel.
-
The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer -- Would
you like to know who was the prince of the Christian
conservatives? It wasn't Falwell or Robertson. It
was Francis Schaeffer. The missionary who set up a Swiss
Chalet spent years arguing with college students in
Europe. Along the way, he formed a convincing apologetic
for the existence of God and the reality of values. (I am
almost required to point out that Schaeffer was wrong in his
critique of certain figures. So, I said it. Still,
this book is great stuff.)
-
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis -- I could have chosen
almost any title by C.S. Lewis, so I picked the one that had
the greatest emotional impact on me. Perelandra is the
second book of Lewis's space trilogy (underappreciated next to
Narnia). The story centers around the drama of Adam and
Eve being replayed on a new planet with an earthman there to
witness it. Utterly compelling and, of course, full to
bursting with philosophical and spiritual meaning.
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