The Problem With Latin Conservatism

Burke Or Maistre?

According to the write up in Wikipedia: “In contrast to Burkean Conservatism, which originated at about the same time, Latin Conservatism is uncompromising in its belief in the need for order. While Burke supported constitutionalism and some degree of democracy, Maistre, like Thomas Hobbes before him, though with a more religious tone, supported authoritarianism as the only means of avoiding violent disorder.”

Although it is a tempting solution to degeneration, the problem with Latin Conservatism is that it doesn't pay enough attention to the long running political and cultural traditions of a given state or locality that are almost as important as the Christian Catholic religious tradition, which the Latin version almost exclusively affirms. It is true that religion, or the cult, is the basis of civilizations, but Conservatism, Burkean Conservatism, also pays attention to the time and place. The United States Constitution is an excellent example. Conservatism stands in the middle between the reactionary and the progressive, and Latin Conservatism tends to be reactionary.

Here is a piece in the Cordelia For Lear blog that got me thinking about this subject.