M. Stanton Evans on Peter Witonski’s The Wisdom of Conservatism

The Wisdom of Conservatism Edited by Peter Witonski Arlington House, four volumes, 2,396 pp., $40 If to be anthologized is a sign of philosophic advance, then the conservative cause these days is very much in the ascendant. Scholarly interest in conservatism has seldom been more lively, with the result that editors and publishers have been energetic in bringing out collections of conservative writing, both contemporary and retrospective in character.

Now a rising young scholar has put together an immense anthology that surpasses all its predecessors in size and philosophic scope. The Wisdom of Conservatism consists of four thick volumes and some 2,400 pages which range across the centuries and which provide a variety of insights into the perennial questions of social philosophy and the practical issues of government. It is by far the most ambitious such project to date, and one which will reward many hours of careful reading. Witonski has given u: a landmark document, essential to an appreciation not only of conservatism but of political thought in general.

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M. Stanton Evans

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Alexis de Tocqueville

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The Wisdom of Conservatism Edited by Peter Witonski Arlington House, four volumes, 2,396 pp., $40 If to be anthologized is a sign of philosophic advance, then the conservative cause these days is very much in the ascendant. Scholarly interest in conservatism has seldom been more lively, with the result that editors and publishers have been energetic in bringing out collections of conservative writing, both contemporary and retrospective in character.

Now a rising young scholar has put together an immense anthology that surpasses all its predecessors in size and philosophic scope. The Wisdom of Conservatism consists of four thick volumes and some 2,400 pages which range across the centuries and which provide a variety of insights into the perennial questions of social philosophy and the practical issues of government. It is by far the most ambitious such project to date, and one which will reward many hours of careful reading. Witonski has given u: a landmark document, essential to an appreciation not only of conservatism but of political thought in general.