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Traditionalism versus liberalism
We traditionalist conservatives do not believe in pure individualism, but in restrained individualism, which is the traditional way of Western man. Similarly, we do not believe in pure freedom, but in ordered freedom. And if there is to be ordered freedom, then there must be something higher than freedom, which is a society’s shared understanding of the good. It is our understanding of the good that tells us what kinds of freedom are good and must be secured and defended; and what kinds of freedom are bad and should not be defended but rather prohibited; and what kinds of freedom are neither good nor bad and should be allowed though not actively promoted.
As an example, the freedom of Muslims to elect their own governments should not be promoted, because they will inevitably elect a sharia government. (See J. Christopher Stevens, death of.) Email entry |