A Conservatism of Hope and Renewal ~ The Imaginative Conservative

A conservatism of instinct must be reinforced by a conservatism of thought and imagination. ~Russell Kirk

The Imaginative Conservative presents a conservatism of thought and imagination in the hope of preserving the best of the Western tradition and restoring the virtue of our Republic. Ours is a conservatism of restoration as well as preservation. Dr. Russell Kirk said: “If rather than despairing, people recognize the gravity of social circumstances and hopefully resolve to take arms against a sea of troubles—why, hope breeds hope, and a nation’s vitality is renewed… the American Republic is still young, as civilizations go, and that despite our present discontents we Americans conceivably may enter soon upon an Augustan age.” A conservatism of hope which helps to bring about an Augustan age is worthy of our dedication.

The Imaginative Conservative endeavors to provide a better understanding of conservatism and of what is worthy of conserving. This is our hope for The Imaginative Conservative community of readers and authors. Dr. Kirk summed it up this way:

The conservative is concerned, first of all, for the regeneration of spirit and character—with the perennial problem of the inner order of the soul, the restoration of the ethical understanding, and the religious sanction upon which any life worth living is founded. This is conservatism at its highest. What is the object of human life? The enlightened conservative does not believe that the end or aim of life is competition; or success; or enjoyment; or longevity; or power; or possessions. He believes, instead, that the object of life is Love.

Let us finally turn to the great book of wisdom where Truth, Love, and Beauty are always to be found. We believe these words may serve as the credo for a conservative who is continually aware of the created nature of man and committed to respecting the dignity of the human person.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ~Philippians 4:8

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