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Conservatives Book Reccommendations

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Kyle Phoenix

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I believe it is important to try to understand other points of view as best as I can. Given how polarised things are, that is probably more necessary than ever if we are to find ways to agree and recognise what we share in common.

If you are a Republican or a Conservative, what books would you suggest are most likely to give a "leftist" pause and reconsider their views, if not embrace a Conservative ideology?

I may not be able to get copies of each and read them all, but I will certainly look them up to see what they are like and are about, who the authors are and what their big ideas are. I have read "The Road to Serfdom" (F.A. Hayek), Some of "Capitalism and Freedom" (M. Friedman) and Most of "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal" (A. Rand).

All Suggestions Welcome. :)
 
Kyle Phoenix said:
I believe it is important to try to understand other points of view as best as I can. Given how polarised things are, that is probably more necessary than ever if we are to find ways to agree and recognise what we share in common.

If you are a Republican or a Conservative, what books would you suggest are most likely to give a "leftist" pause and reconsider their views, if not embrace a Conservative ideology?

I may not be able to get copies of each and read them all, but I will certainly look them up to see what they are like and are about, who the authors are and what their big ideas are. I have read "The Road to Serfdom" (F.A. Hayek), Some of "Capitalism and Freedom" (M. Friedman) and Most of "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal" (A. Rand).

All Suggestions Welcome. :)
Click to expand...

The A Rand one is one that crystallized my opposition to conservative economics. M Friedman and Rand are two of the biggest influences that helped destroy american society.
 
Kyle Phoenix said:
I believe it is important to try to understand other points of view as best as I can. Given how polarised things are, that is probably more necessary than ever if we are to find ways to agree and recognise what we share in common.

If you are a Republican or a Conservative, what books would you suggest are most likely to give a "leftist" pause and reconsider their views, if not embrace a Conservative ideology?

I may not be able to get copies of each and read them all, but I will certainly look them up to see what they are like and are about, who the authors are and what their big ideas are. I have read "The Road to Serfdom" (F.A. Hayek), Some of "Capitalism and Freedom" (M. Friedman) and Most of "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal" (A. Rand).

All Suggestions Welcome. :)
Click to expand...

This website: The Last Refuge | Rag Tag Bunch of Conservative Misfits – Contact Info: TheLastRefuge@reagan.com

If you approach this site with an open mind...investigate the sources...keep your head out of the sand...you will gain a LOT to think about.

Then you'll be in a position to make up your own mind.
 
Mycroft said:
This website: The Last Refuge | Rag Tag Bunch of Conservative Misfits – Contact Info: [email]TheLastRefuge@reagan.com[/email]

If you approach this site with an open mind...investigate the sources...keep your head out of the sand...you will gain a LOT to think about.

Then you'll be in a position to make up your own mind.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I've added to favorites. :)

I have used Reddit on and off, so I might take a look at r/AskTrumpSupporters and r/Conservative to see what is trending there. Although not really conservative, I did enjoy looking at r/Monarchism as a right-wing subreddit as that really forced me to challenge some of my assumptions about Monarchies and Republics that are generally widely held.

RAMOSS said:
The A Rand one is one that crystallized my opposition to conservative economics. M Friedman and Rand are two of the biggest influences that helped destroy american society.
Click to expand...

As someone on the Left, I would agree that the obsession with selfishness and unlimited freedom has been deeply unhelpful and taken to reckless extremes even if they may have made some legitimate points at the time. But having heard their names come up so often, I figured I should at least read some of their books to find out what it was all about.
 
Kyle Phoenix said:
Thanks. I've added to favorites. :)

I have used Reddit on and off, so I might take a look at r/AskTrumpSupporters and r/Conservative to see what is trending there. Although not really conservative, I did enjoy looking at r/Monarchism as a right-wing subreddit as that really forced me to challenge some of my assumptions about Monarchies and Republics that are generally widely held.



As someone on the Left, I would agree that the obsession with selfishness and unlimited freedom has been deeply unhelpful and taken to reckless extremes even if they may have made some legitimate points at the time. But having heard their names come up so often, I figured I should at least read some of their books to find out what it was all about.
Click to expand...

Regarding Ayn Rand, be aware that self-interest is not always selfish.
 
Mycroft said:
Regarding Ayn Rand, be aware that self-interest is not always selfish.
Click to expand...

Strong personal boundaries are a great thing for emotional health, but the problem with Rand is she took it way to the extreme and into the realm of narcissism. (which is a very unhealthy ideal in which to try to construct a culture).
 
Mycroft said:
Regarding Ayn Rand, be aware that self-interest is not always selfish.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I believe she differentiates between the rational self-interest based on self-respect that is often a creative force against the irrational and impulsive selfishness of someone who is basically trying to take from others, if not actually being destructive. I think she classed the latter and the willingness to confuse the two as a driven by altruistic ideologies.
 
Kyle Phoenix said:
If you are a Republican or a Conservative, what books would you suggest are most likely to give a "leftist" pause and reconsider their views, if not embrace a Conservative ideology?
Click to expand...
I am not sure, what should give you pause, as for me to that ends, I would recommend reading leftist books and thinking them to their natural conclusion or simply spending time around other leftists, and pondering the pure hypocrisy of it all.

Here though are three different "conservative" books which in my opinion are good reading for everyone:
1) The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
2) Basic Economics - Thomas Sowell
3) Truth vs Falsehood: How to Tell the Difference - David R Hawkins

The last might be the oddest, as its "spiritual" in nature, so may not be your cup of tea. It's a real gem though IMHO.
 
tacomancer said:
Strong personal boundaries are a great thing for emotional health, but the problem with Rand is she took it way to the extreme and into the realm of narcissism. (which is a very unhealthy ideal in which to try to construct a culture).
Click to expand...
And not to detract too much from the thread, but in the end she took advantage of the very social programs she campaigned against for much of her life!

I agree. I wouldn't start with her, but rather with someone like Charles Krauhthammer - who himself did a Liberal-to-Conservative journey of his own. He was once a sixties radical, and ended-up a Conservative solid enough to be the star of Bret Baeir's 'Special Report' panels.

But then in politically terms I'm mostly Lefty, so I doubt I'm the guy to give the OP his Conservative advice.
 
The Turner Diaries.


If you're into the far right.


Timothy McVey was carrying pages from the Turner Diaries in his pocket when they caught him.
 
Kyle Phoenix said:
Yeah, I believe she differentiates between the rational self-interest based on self-respect that is often a creative force against the irrational and impulsive selfishness of someone who is basically trying to take from others, if not actually being destructive. I think she classed the latter and the willingness to confuse the two as a driven by altruistic ideologies.
Click to expand...
With the writing & understanding you've displayed in the paragraph above, I wouldn't doubt in a couple years time we see you penning your own 'journey to conservatism' tome!

:2razz:

(Don't laugh, I've been looking for just such a book)
 
Kyle Phoenix said:
I believe it is important to try to understand other points of view as best as I can. Given how polarised things are, that is probably more necessary than ever if we are to find ways to agree and recognise what we share in common.

If you are a Republican or a Conservative, what books would you suggest are most likely to give a "leftist" pause and reconsider their views, if not embrace a Conservative ideology?

I may not be able to get copies of each and read them all, but I will certainly look them up to see what they are like and are about, who the authors are and what their big ideas are. I have read "The Road to Serfdom" (F.A. Hayek), Some of "Capitalism and Freedom" (M. Friedman) and Most of "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal" (A. Rand).

All Suggestions Welcome. :)
Click to expand...
America, The Last Best Hope V1, V2 William Bennett

Basic Economics Thomas Sowell

Rediscovering Americanism, Mark Levin

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
 
swing_voter said:
The Turner Diaries.


If you're into the far right.


Timothy McVey was carrying pages from the Turner Diaries in his pocket when they caught him.
Click to expand...

I know of it, so I might try to get a copy if I can. Thanks.

Conaeolos said:
I am not sure, what should give you pause, as for me to that ends, I would recommend reading leftist books and thinking them to their natural conclusion or simply spending time around other leftists, and pondering the pure hypocrisy of it all.

Here though are three different "conservative" books which in my opinion are good reading for everyone:
1) The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
2) Basic Economics - Thomas Sowell
3) Truth vs Falsehood: How to Tell the Difference - David R Hawkins

The last might be the oddest, as its "spiritual" in nature, so may not be your cup of tea. It's a real gem though IMHO.
Click to expand...

I have spent a lot of time reflecting on the left (especially the far left) and, yeah, it is troubling. It remains a conscious effort to resist the emotionalism of the times and to try to keep some perspective as the mainstream media is such an effective propaganda tool (regardless as to whether it is telling the truth). Thanks for the book recommendations. I have heard of Thomas Sowell before (as an ex-Marxist turned conservative) but have yet to read anything by him.
 
Chomsky said:
With the writing & understanding you've displayed in the paragraph above, I wouldn't doubt in a couple years time we see you penning your own 'journey to conservatism' tome!

:2razz:

(Don't laugh, I've been looking for just such a book)
Click to expand...

I have tried to make the journey from Communist to Conservative but it has basically taken years to unravel from Marxist ideology and to criticise it more effectively. But for the purposes of being on DP it is simply easier to identify as a Communist even if I am not an orthodox "Marxist-Leninist". (Truth be told- almost no-one is these days).

Marxism essentially argues that human society and all the individuals in it are governed by objective laws discoverable by science which is an intriguing and subversive idea- especially if you are "intellectually" inclined. But once you've accepted that proposition, explored the maze of dialectical materialism and then start to question it, you find that defying the "laws of history" is an experience very much like fighting the law of gravity. Every time you think you've beaten it, your understanding of Marxist ideology "evolves" in to something bigger, better and even more terrifying as you sink in to the moral quagmire. The further you are in the ideology, the harder it is to get out... and I'm definitely up to my waist in something very unpleasent.... :D

The Marxist in me can tell that Coronavirus is a major historical event with far reaching implications and is basically the largest global even since the Second World War (and those insights can be extremely useful). So that has made my efforts to become more mainstream look pretty insignificant and irrelevant for now. Although I identify as a communist on DP, it consists in holding firm and trying to keep my cool as there won't be a *successful* communist revolution in either the UK or the US probably for decades given that a communist party must transform itself in to an embryonic state. So I can afford to take my time, look at the theory and weigh it up. For all Conservatives fear of Communism as a "Totalitarian" movement, it's still basically at it's lowest point for over a century and hasn't recovered from the collapse of Communism in the 1980's and 90's. It's would be an extremely long and turbulent road for Communists to actually seize power in Western Europe or North America in my lifetime.

It's possible I might be a very moderate conservative one day because as an ideology that is a lot easier to focus on the day-to-day tasks of getting a job, meeting someone, falling in love, getting married and raising a family. Those kind of individual aspects of life do not feature in Marxist ideology at all and you do appreciate them more as you get older and more aware of your own mortality.

But I don't know how this story ends honestly. There is a very small chance that I end up being on a t-shirt for lots of teenage stoners, but we'll have to see. :D
 
Kyle Phoenix said:
Although I identify as a communist on DP, it consists in holding firm and trying to keep my cool as there won't be a *successful* communist revolution in either the UK or the US probably for decades given that a communist party must transform itself in to an embryonic state. So I can afford to take my time, look at the theory and weigh it up.
Click to expand...
Not to derail you thread, but I am curious. If you desire to live in a state run in a communist style. Why don't you simply live in the microcosm that is a commune?
 
Kyle Phoenix said:
I have tried to make the journey from Communist to Conservative but it has basically taken years to unravel from Marxist ideology and to criticise it more effectively. But for the purposes of being on DP it is simply easier to identify as a Communist even if I am not an orthodox "Marxist-Leninist". (Truth be told- almost no-one is these days).

Marxism essentially argues that human society and all the individuals in it are governed by objective laws discoverable by science which is an intriguing and subversive idea- especially if you are "intellectually" inclined. But once you've accepted that proposition, explored the maze of dialectical materialism and then start to question it, you find that defying the "laws of history" is an experience very much like fighting the law of gravity. Every time you think you've beaten it, your understanding of Marxist ideology "evolves" in to something bigger, better and even more terrifying as you sink in to the moral quagmire. The further you are in the ideology, the harder it is to get out... and I'm definitely up to my waist in something very unpleasent.... :D

The Marxist in me can tell that Coronavirus is a major historical event with far reaching implications and is basically the largest global even since the Second World War (and those insights can be extremely useful). So that has made my efforts to become more mainstream look pretty insignificant and irrelevant for now. Although I identify as a communist on DP, it consists in holding firm and trying to keep my cool as there won't be a *successful* communist revolution in either the UK or the US probably for decades given that a communist party must transform itself in to an embryonic state. So I can afford to take my time, look at the theory and weigh it up. For all Conservatives fear of Communism as a "Totalitarian" movement, it's still basically at it's lowest point for over a century and hasn't recovered from the collapse of Communism in the 1980's and 90's. It's would be an extremely long and turbulent road for Communists to actually seize power in Western Europe or North America in my lifetime.

It's possible I might be a very moderate conservative one day because as an ideology that is a lot easier to focus on the day-to-day tasks of getting a job, meeting someone, falling in love, getting married and raising a family. Those kind of individual aspects of life do not feature in Marxist ideology at all and you do appreciate them more as you get older and more aware of your own mortality.

But I don't know how this story ends honestly. There is a very small chance that I end up being on a t-shirt for lots of teenage stoners, but we'll have to see. :D
Click to expand...
Sounds like you should read some from David Horowitz, a red diaper baby turned conservative. Front Page is a good site though I have never read any of David's books.

David Horowitz | Frontpagemag

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
 
RAMOSS said:
The A Rand one is one that crystallized my opposition to conservative economics. M Friedman and Rand are two of the biggest influences that helped destroy american society.
Click to expand...

Fun fact: the Ayn Rand Foundation took a whole bunch of tax dollars as a bailout.
 
Conaeolos said:
Not to derail you thread, but I am curious. If you desire to live in a state run in a communist style. Why don't you simply live in the microcosm that is a commune?
Click to expand...

Marxism presents itself as a scientific hypothesis about the future of society in predicting a national (and then global) transformation of capitalism in to socialism and communism. So It isn’t a scheme to build a utopia in a more typical sense.

Non-marxist varieties of communism (especially anarchism) are much more conducive to joining a commune because they are based on free will. Thats more about an individual choosing to join a community.

But Marxism is deterministic and isn’t really about the free will of the individual. You end up debating the future of your own country or the world and your personal journey through those events rather than in isolation. If Marxism was true, the operation of historical laws occurs largely independent of your will- so you either work with them or against them. So even if you are appalled by Marxism, the operation of those historical laws means you can run from history but you can’t hide. The “truth” will find you in the end.
 
I'll provide an easier, lazier option that only requires 5mins of time, and NO reading, but should scare the daylights out of every reasonable person. It should turn ALL people of good conscience to oppose the increasingly destructive radical democrats!
 
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