“T.R.”

cial life as the embodiment of the wisdom of the group is itself defensible only where existing society is historically continuous with the wisdom of the ancients.

The central question for presentday conservatives becomes, then, whether a “break” has occurred in history during the modern age, so that contemporary institutions are but the husks of past institutions into which a completely different substance has been introduced. If such a “break” has occurred, then appeals to prescription run the risk of translating themselves into reactionary longing for the good old days. If such a “break” has occurred, then the man who respects and venerates the proven wisdom of the ancients must become the most radical of men.