The common principles of the early Conservatives of Western Europe (roughly, from Burke to Donoso Cortes) listed by Robert Nisbet in his foreword to “The Works of Joseph de Maistre” (Schocken, 1971).
1. God and the divine order, not the natural order, must be the starting point of any understanding of society and history.
2. Society, not the individual, is the subject of the true science of man.
3. Tradition, not pure reason, is the only possible approach to reform of government and society.
4. Organism, not social contract, is the true image of social reality.
5. The groups and associations of society, not the abstracted individual, are the true seats of human morality – and also of human identity.
6. True authority springs directly from God and is distributed normally among a plurality of institutions – church, guild, social class, and family, as well as political state.
7. A tragic view of man and history is required, one that sees the recurrence of evil and disaster in human affairs, not the kind of linear progress assumed by the Enlightenment.
The musings and meandering thoughts of a crotchety old man as he observes life in the world and in a small, rural town in South East Nebraska. My Pledge-Nulla dies sine linea-Not a day with out a line.
Stand Alone Pages on 'Musings of an Old Curmudgeon'
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07 February 2018
2 comments:
Comments are subject to deletion if they are not germane. I have no problem with a bit of colourful language, but blasphemy or depraved profanity will not be allowed. Attacks on the Catholic Faith will not be tolerated. Comments will be deleted that are republican (Yanks! Note the lower case 'r'!), attacks on the legitimacy of Pope Francis as the Vicar of Christ (I know he's a material heretic and a Protector of Perverts, and I definitely want him gone yesterday! However, he is Pope, and I pray for him every day.), the legitimacy of the House of Windsor or of the claims of the Elder Line of the House of France, or attacks on the legitimacy of any of the currently ruling Houses of Europe.
Thank you Mr. Weismiller, I often read your blog but never comment. I hope that you know there are people like me with not much to say, but quite a bit to learn.
ReplyDeleteI thank you. It is nice to receive comments, but even if I don't hear from my readers, I hope that there are many others like you.
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