Without Religion, New Book Contends, Conservatism Doesn't Exist
Biden says: F 'em they are peaceful! We won! We can do anything we want to and those bible-thumpers won't do anything about it!
By Douglas Blair
Yoram Hazony discusses his new book “Conservatism: A Rediscovery” and explains why religion can’t be separated from conservatism. More
Conservatism has a long and storied history. It evolved with various times and places, and adapted to fit the needs of rising generations. But one thing has remained consistent in conservatism throughout the ages, says Yoram Hazony, president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem and chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation.
Conservatism and religion are inextricably linked, Hazony says. He defines conservatism as “a political standpoint that regards the national religious traditions as the key to maintaining and to strengthening a nation” and says that American conservatives need to reawaken to that reality.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hazony joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss his new book “Conservatism: A Rediscovery” and explain why religion can’t be separated from conservatism.
Doug Blair: My guest today is Yoram Hazony, president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem and chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation. He’s also the author of the new book “
.” Yoram, welcome to the show.Yoram Hazony: My pleasure. Thank you for having me on.
Blair: Of course. Well, I want to talk about your book a little bit because the title is so interesting, a rediscovery of conservatism. But before we get into that specifically, let’s start defining our terms. What, to you, is conservatism?
Hazony: Well, conservatism is a political standpoint that regards the national religious traditions as the key to maintaining and to strengthening a nation. In the United States, it’s appropriate to talk about the Anglo-American conservative tradition. Different countries have different traditions of conservatism, and they’re not all alike.
I would say, as a general matter, if you’re the kind of person who thinks that politics begins with the free and equal individual and political obligation arising from consent, if that’s your worldview, then you’re probably not a conservative; you’re probably a liberal.
If the place where you start is from the existence of a certain nation which has traditions, like a religious tradition, a linguistic tradition, constitutional traditions, that have historically bound the various parts of the nation together, if that’s your starting point, then you’re probably a conservative.