Intellectual Conservatism on Campus: Has Campus Conservatism Lost its Way?
by Jason Simons ‘08
Conservatism in the United States is currently in a silent state of peril! How do I figure this, you might ask? After all, we currently have a conservative President, a conservative
majority in the Supreme Court, and the Republican Party is standing strong in the midst of criticism from those on the left. I make this claim because few conservatives, including myself, have a solid understanding of issues within conservatism today. Rather than seeking to understand topics by reading books and engaging in meaningful discussion,
many conservative students simply abide by what the Republican Party says and take it to be a valid argument. They also fail to seek out the root and basic theories of conservatism, as we tend to favor a more shallow understanding. Great conservative
theorists and authors like Russell Kirk, Richard Weaver and Robert Nisbet, who once provided the basis of conservative thought, have faded to near obscurity, as I had never heard of these scholars until recently. This is a sad development that ought not to be taken lightly, especially at a place like Wabash where men are taught to think critically and independently. If we are capable of doing so with other topics, then should we not seek to do so about our political and moral ideologies?
Daniel McCarthy, in his article in The American Conservative titled “GOP and Man at Yale,” discusses this development. He notes that conservatism has become a sort of “all-or-nothing” form of Republicanism, saying, “We now parade in shirts proclaiming ‘George W. Bush is My Homeboy.’ The campus Right has almost always been more activist than intellectual, just as the wider movement has been more political than cultural. But where once students were at least familiar with the names Kirk and Weaver, today they look to Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter for guidance. They’re little acquainted with the wisdom of the contemporary Right’s founding generation, and it shows.” He also uses terms like “Hipublicans” and “South Park Conservatives” to critique the mindless views of many conservative students. He places most of the blame on organizations like College Republicans, which in his view “put a low premium on encouraging students
to read the canon of intellectual conservatism.” He looks more favorably on organizations like Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) and Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), which openly encourage students to read the works of conservative scholars and even provide free books to those who are interested in reading them.
I fully agree with McCarthy that conservative-affiliated organizations have failed in promoting an intellectual form of conservatism or in providing a solid basis for critical thought. Certainly, it has been a failure of the conservative movement at Wabash not to have discussed these scholars or to provide an intellectual basis that conservative students can build upon. As the conservative movement is advanced forward by The Phoenix, it is our aim to provide an intellectual basis for conservative thought and dialogue on this campus. In upcoming issues, you can expect to find articles that focus on great conservative scholars and how their work might influence our positions on issues within conservatism, both within and outside of the Wabash community. We will continue to discourage mindless thought on issues and will promote a deeper understanding of such issues through civil discourse.
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