10 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Works Every Conservative Should Read

[direwolf_of_white_fangs]

Hence what you class as a modern conservative is really a liberal. Actual conservative economics has a strong paternalistic streak, and conservatism's fear of radical change fits poorly with a laissez-faire system that keeps changing society in its own image.

but things have to change....in order to remain the same ;)

No serious intellectual can be against change (please no similarity to mr. O change, far from it). Change is the natural order of the universe. Only idealistic platonic thinking consider things as unchangeable.

[The Marquis de Leech]

but things have to change....in order to remain the same ;)

No serious intellectual can be against change (please no similarity to mr. O change, far from it). Change is the natural order of the universe. Only idealistic platonic thinking consider things as unchangeable.

I'd say the likes of Joseph de Maistre were pretty serious. The point is that conservatives like to conserve stuff, i.e. don't like change, or if change has to happen (i.e. you're talking Burkean conservatives, not de Maistre-type reactionaries), they prefer gradual evolution. Society in the conservative model is an organic entity, which needs to be protected from the buffeting winds of social liberalism or laissez-faire economics.

[sologdin]

plato combined parmenidean stasis with heraclitean flux, though, aye?

[maarsen]

This has got to be the funniest thing I have read in ages. First of all, I am an old fart now, and read most of the books on the list except for the Lovecraft. (I found them too silly.) When most of this stuff was written, it was for the Sixties generation. Peace Love, Yadda Yadda, Yadda. I was too young to participate but old enough to remember, and to read the books. Conservatives then hated these books. Eisenhouwer/Nixon type conservatives that is. The older I get the more there is to laugh at. Keep it coming.

[NewsToTom]

Institutionally, The American Conservative represents a particular flavor of American conservatism distinct from what I, and I think they as well, would characterize as more mainstream Republican/conservative sites like Weekly Standard and National Review. AmCon's flavor tends to be comparatively more traditional family-oriented, less interested in free markets, and isolationist. Pat Buchanan is probably the most famous figure associated with AmCon.

As for the list, well, as idiosyncratic as you'd expect. I don't quite get how you can claim excluding Tolkien on the grounds of excessive popularity and then include Starship Troopers. Just put LOTR on your list and make it 11 books unless you're excluding a broad swath of works, which the author did not seem to do.

[dietl]

'Conservative' is an indexical expression. The views it refers to change with time and from context to context. An American Conservative today is not the same as an Chinese Conservative 200 years ago and I think the list is aimed at the former.

I still don't think that those lists have any value other than showing what the authors of those lists likes, because your interpretation of a books depends much on the views you already have.

[Crazydog7]

I feel I have to speak up for Heinlein in at least one respect yes he was a conservative, yes he didn’t have problems with wars fought by other people against the communist menace but at least he died before this “if you are poor its because you are to stupid and lazy to be rich” idea crept into republican politics. I love the hell out of most Heinlien stories with the exception of two Farnham's Freehold I could never understand if he might have been commentating on the race problem by putting the bottom man on the top or if he just hated blacks and he actually thought that if given the chance they would dominate Caucasians. I don’t think this view makes any sense considering how often people with a bi-racial heritage pop up in the Howard family/Lazarus Long stories. Remember also that in Starship Troopers the guys name is actually Juancita Rico.

I thought Farnham's Freehold was the craziest Goddamn Heinlein story I ever read until I got The 6^th Column on audible an Alliance of Pan Asians Xenophobes conquers the United States. The story itself makes no sense the bad guys suffer from all the Asian stereotypes and are supposed to be clever and devious but seem to forget these abilities when the plot requires it. There is also some debate as to weather or not it was Heinlein’s idea or John W. Campbell (slightly to the right of the John Birchers.

I was always more concerned with Heinlein’s views regarding sex in regards to incest particularly the adventures of one Woodrow Wilson Smith.

[Datepalm]

That's speaking up for Heinlein? :huh: