How to be a Conservative

Roger Scruton

Paperback, 208 pages

9781472965233

Roger Scruton's How to be a Conservative presents the case for modern conservatism not in the terms of an elegy but rather as a practical example of how to live as a conservative despite the pressures to live otherwise. As he writes, the book 'is not about what we have lost, but about what we have retained, and how to hold on to it'.

In this witty and frank account, Scruton draws on his years of experience as a counter-cultural presence in public life. He examines the truths in Nationalism, Socialism, Capitalism, Liberalism, Multiculturalism, Environmentalism, Internationalism and finally Conservatism. The book concludes on a personal note, with 'a valediction forbidding mourning but admitting loss'.

Contents

1. My journey

2. Starting from Home

3. The Truth in Nationalism

4. The Truth in Socialism

5. The Truth in Capitalism

6. The Truth in Liberalism

7. The Truth in Multiculturalism

8. The Truth in Environmentalism

9. The Truth in Internationalism

10. The Truth in Conservatism

11. Realms of Value

12. Practical Matters

13. A Valediction Forbidding Mourning but Admitting Loss