The Authentic Conservative vs. the Reactionary Conservative

“The reactionary outlook is, consequently, hostile to the commitment to moral equality that authentic conservatives, liberals, and progressives share.”

Introduction

Russell Kirk famously opined that conservatism is an outlook or disposition before it is a political philosophy. As the late Roger Scruton put it in his 2017 book Conservatism: An Invitation to the Great Tradition, the conservative believes that “good things are easily destroyed, not easily created.” As a consequence, many conservatives react with distrust or outright hostility when the political left demands radical transformations to the status quo. This is true whether these proposals are in the economic sphere (such as demands for the dramatic redistribution of wealth and power) or are more culturally-oriented (such as critiques directed towards the nuclear family or cherished institutions). For those on the Left, this opposition has darker suggestions than Scruton’s noble gratitude for good things. It indicates that conservatives are unwilling to undertake the changes necessary to establish a truly just and fair society—and that they often define themselves politically by reacting against any efforts to challenge hierarchies of oppression and domination. The political theorist and progressive commentator Corey Robin makes this polemical point in his modern classic The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin:

“Conservatism is the theoretical voice of this animus against the agency of the subordinate classes. It provides the most consistent and profound argument as to why the lower orders should not be allowed to exercise their independent will, why they should not be allowed to govern themselves or the polity. Submission is their first duty, and agency the prerogative of the elite. Though it is often claimed that the left stands for equality and the right stands for freedom, this notion misstates the actual disagreement between right and left. Historically, the conservative has favored liberty for the higher orders and constraint for the lower orders. What the conservative sees and dislikes in equality, is not a threat to freedom but its extension. For, in that extension, he sees a loss of his own freedom.”

This conception of conservatism as an inherently reactionary voice speaking for the powerful against the “subordinated classes” would obviously be unappealing to many. In this essay, I wish to discuss the differences between an authentic conservatism grounded in gratitude and a reactionary outlook predicated on disdain for weakness. My argument will be that the two are, in fact, quite different.