BROADCASTS.com

Published: May 17, 2021, 5:16 p.m.

In episode#6 of Dignities and Disasters, Robert MacNaughton and Michael Porcelli tease out the good, the messy middle and the bad of conservatism. Often misconstrued to be aligned with right-wing politics, conservatism emphasizes the value of the past and the wisdoms accrued through it. Whether exploring the idiosyncrasies of folk tales, the quasi-colonialism of modern day politics\u2019 foreign affairs or the inevitable Godwin\u2019s Law, this episode will have you thinking.

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Some of the topics we explore:

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- The Conservative Disposition 
\n- Heuristics - our rules of thumb and passed down common sense
\n- Grandma\u2019s Ham
\n- Chesterton\u2019s Fence
\n- The Law of Unintended Consequences
\n- Nationalism
\n- Colonialism
\n- Fascism
\n- Religious Rule
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Show Notes:

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07:37 - The conservative disposition

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08:20 - Heuristics

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11:10 - Chesterton\u2019s Fence

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12:00 - Folk wisdom and rules of thumb

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14:10 - Hesitate (Scruton\u2019s slogan)

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15:50 - Continuity

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16:05 - Star Trek Prime Directive

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17:02 - Unintended consequences

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18:50 - Localism

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20:00 - Duty and obligation

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21:15 - Civility

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23:00 - Moral foundations

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24:30 - Tragic vision - Sowell/Pinker

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29:40 - The messy middle

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32:17 - Grandma\u2019s ham

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36:05 - Live caller #1

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42:09 - The grapevine telephone

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46:05 - Patriotism

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46:35 - Enthocentricity

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49:34 - Libertarianism

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50:09 - Mistrust of experts and Populism

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52:35 - Conservatism vs the Right

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54:19 - Religious rule

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55:07 - Reactionary and neo-reactionary conservatism

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56:43 - Neo vs Paleo conservatism

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57:33 - Imperialism and colonialism

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58:35 - Isolationism

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59:40 - Ethno nationalism

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1:03:37 - Live caller #2

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1:15:29 - Conclusion

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Cartoon: Our Blessed Kingdom and Their Barbarous Wastes

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References:

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How to be a Conservative by Roger Scruton

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Thomas Sowell - Conflict of visions

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Jonathan Haidt -  The Righteous Mind (Moral Foundations theory)

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Edmund Burke (1729-1797) - originator of political conservatism as a philosophy

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