When a book is titled Up from Conservatism, it’s clear enough that someone is hoping to pick a fight. In case there was any doubt, Arthur Milikh’s recent collection of 18 essays, all written by right-leaning American thinkers, is subtitled Revitalizing the Right after a Generation of Decay. The message is not subtle. En garde, conservatives.
Given that presentation, the essays are more variable than one might expect. Some are reflective and insightful. There is nothing feisty or tendentious, for instance, in Carson Holloway’s careful discussion of the claim that the United States was “founded on an idea.” David Goldman’s critique of “Hamiltonian economics” is not angling to shock or gratuitously alienate right-wing readers. Joshua Mitchell and Aaron Renn co-authored a very interesting essay on “What Went Wrong” with the old right, and despite the provocative title, their assessment of the Reaganites is overall rather generous. In fact, their main criticism is directed at fellow Protestants, who in their view have not contributed enough to the conservative conversation. Not every writer in the volume seemed to be spoiling for a fight.
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