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The Roger Scruton Reader
The Roger Scruton Reader is the first comprehensive collection of Scruton's writings, spanning a period of thirty years. It gathers selections from some of his earliest works such as The Aesthetics of Architecture (1979) to his most recent Culture Counts (2007). The book also includes a good number of unpublished essays. It is made up of five sections - the last section of all contains some of Scruton's most pugilistic pieces on Dawkins and on The Iraq War.
Scruton holds Burkean political views and his book The Meaning of Conservatism was a response to the growth of liberalism in the Conservative party. At all times he is concerned to shift the right way from economics towards moral issues such as sex education and censorship laws. But he has in fact written on almost every aspect of philosophy - always in prose which is accessible and written with pellucid clarity.
Scruton holds Burkean political views and his book The Meaning of Conservatism was a response to the growth of liberalism in the Conservative party. At all times he is concerned to shift the right way from economics towards moral issues such as sex education and censorship laws. But he has in fact written on almost every aspect of philosophy - always in prose which is accessible and written with pellucid clarity.
232 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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About the author
Roger Scruton
137 books1,341 followersSir Roger Scruton was a writer and philosopher who has published more than forty books in philosophy, aesthetics and politics. He was a fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He taught in both England and America and was a Visiting Professor at Department of Philosophy and Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, he was also a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington D.C.
In 2015 he published two books, The Disappeared and later in the autumn, Fools Frauds and Firebrands. Fools Frauds and Firebrands is an update of Thinkers of the New Left published, to widespread outrage, in 1986. It includes new chapters covering Lacan, Deleuze and Badiou and some timely thoughts about the historians and social thinkers who led British intellectuals up the garden path during the last decades, including Eric Hobsbawm and Ralph Miliband.
In 2016 he again published two books, Confessions of A Heretic (a collection of essays) and The Ring of Truth, about Wagner’s Ring cycle, which was widely and favourably reviewed. In 2017 he published On Human Nature (Princeton University Press), which was again widely reviewed, and contains a distillation of his philosophy. He also published a response to Brexit, Where We Are (Bloomsbury).
In 2015 he published two books, The Disappeared and later in the autumn, Fools Frauds and Firebrands. Fools Frauds and Firebrands is an update of Thinkers of the New Left published, to widespread outrage, in 1986. It includes new chapters covering Lacan, Deleuze and Badiou and some timely thoughts about the historians and social thinkers who led British intellectuals up the garden path during the last decades, including Eric Hobsbawm and Ralph Miliband.
In 2016 he again published two books, Confessions of A Heretic (a collection of essays) and The Ring of Truth, about Wagner’s Ring cycle, which was widely and favourably reviewed. In 2017 he published On Human Nature (Princeton University Press), which was again widely reviewed, and contains a distillation of his philosophy. He also published a response to Brexit, Where We Are (Bloomsbury).
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 15, 2023
Scruton stands out as one of the great intellects of the 20th century. He is very much the thinking man's conservative, with incisive and delightful prose elucidating viewpoints that most on the right find hard to articulate.
Like Milton Friedman, Scruton felt that one must make a point of understanding the arguments of those with whom you disagree. Sadly, that view is lacking on both ends of the political spectrum today.
Like Milton Friedman, Scruton felt that one must make a point of understanding the arguments of those with whom you disagree. Sadly, that view is lacking on both ends of the political spectrum today.
May 21, 2023
Recently, I stumbled upon the works of Roger Scruton, a prominent conservative philosopher with a keen interest in politics, culture, religion, architecture, animal rights, and music. To become familiar with his ideas on a variety of different topics, I picked up a copy of The Roger Scruton Reader, a captivating compilation of his thought-provoking essays. Although I found myself disagreeing with some of his ideas from time to time (as pointed out in other reviews, he does not provide enough justification for some of his claims), it was a delightful journey to read the writings of such an intellectual mind with gentle patriotism and the most sincere desire to construct and preserve what binds a nation together.
The Roger Scruton Reader begins with Scruton's essays on how he became a conservative and what is Right from his own perspective. He criticizes the abolitionist leftist movements, stating that "our concern should be not to abolish these powers that bind society together but to ensure that they are not also used to sunder it". For him, we should aim not for a world without power, but for a world where power is peacefully exercised. He also argues against liberalism, claiming that the social contract, as Rousseau put it, should not only be between the living but between the living, the dead, and the unborn. According to him, the dead and the unborn are as much members of society as the living. This argument plays an important role in justifying environmentalism from a conservative perspective as well.
In the third chapter, "Sex and the Sacred," Scruton provides several arguments in favor of the traditional value of love and the position of sexual activity as a spiritual bond rather than just a physical interaction. In "Meaningful Marriage," he argues that marriage is not just a contract but a change in status. This change of status imbues a sacrificial character and requires a vow of togetherness (rather than merely a contract of cohabitation). Although Scruton's arguments are not the most analytical, they are thought-provoking and worth reading by both sides of the discourse.
At the end of the third chapter, Roger criticizes the proponents of New Atheism, whom he calls evangelical atheists, for being inspired by irrational beliefs about religions and religious people.
The following chapters consist of his writings on architecture, music, and art - where he constantly argues that "Without tradition, originality cannot exist: for it is only against a tradition that it becomes perceivable." The same idea can be observed in his defense of classicism in architecture and his criticism of modernism.
Overall, it was an interesting read for me, and I am glad to become acquainted with such an intellectually conservative mind. However, I do not think his arguments on various topics such as hunting, criticism of the European Union, and international environmentalist organizations are convincing and I think they surely require further investigation (For hunting, he does not seem to be very convinced of his own ideas as well, though).
The Roger Scruton Reader begins with Scruton's essays on how he became a conservative and what is Right from his own perspective. He criticizes the abolitionist leftist movements, stating that "our concern should be not to abolish these powers that bind society together but to ensure that they are not also used to sunder it". For him, we should aim not for a world without power, but for a world where power is peacefully exercised. He also argues against liberalism, claiming that the social contract, as Rousseau put it, should not only be between the living but between the living, the dead, and the unborn. According to him, the dead and the unborn are as much members of society as the living. This argument plays an important role in justifying environmentalism from a conservative perspective as well.
In the third chapter, "Sex and the Sacred," Scruton provides several arguments in favor of the traditional value of love and the position of sexual activity as a spiritual bond rather than just a physical interaction. In "Meaningful Marriage," he argues that marriage is not just a contract but a change in status. This change of status imbues a sacrificial character and requires a vow of togetherness (rather than merely a contract of cohabitation). Although Scruton's arguments are not the most analytical, they are thought-provoking and worth reading by both sides of the discourse.
At the end of the third chapter, Roger criticizes the proponents of New Atheism, whom he calls evangelical atheists, for being inspired by irrational beliefs about religions and religious people.
The following chapters consist of his writings on architecture, music, and art - where he constantly argues that "Without tradition, originality cannot exist: for it is only against a tradition that it becomes perceivable." The same idea can be observed in his defense of classicism in architecture and his criticism of modernism.
Overall, it was an interesting read for me, and I am glad to become acquainted with such an intellectually conservative mind. However, I do not think his arguments on various topics such as hunting, criticism of the European Union, and international environmentalist organizations are convincing and I think they surely require further investigation (For hunting, he does not seem to be very convinced of his own ideas as well, though).
January 17, 2017
I like reading Roger Scruton, but this is an incredibly uneven collection.
For one, there are sections where claims are made that are never really justified: for example, he claims that the union of States in the case of the US was attempt at making people neighbors of sorts, but that the EU does nothing analogous. It's a common enough claim, but nothing Scruton says actually spells out why this is so. And the section on New Atheism is mostly worthless since he fails to grasp the thrust of their position at all. The sections on sexuality is certainly poetic, even moving, but whether plausible is another question.
For all these flaws, however, Scruton's conservatism is important if for no other reason that it being a challenge to a certain liberal orthodoxy involving abstract universal rights. Scruton's emphasis instead of aesthetics, community, and history provide a framework that would be alien to much professional philosophy, but certainly familiar to the layperson.
For one, there are sections where claims are made that are never really justified: for example, he claims that the union of States in the case of the US was attempt at making people neighbors of sorts, but that the EU does nothing analogous. It's a common enough claim, but nothing Scruton says actually spells out why this is so. And the section on New Atheism is mostly worthless since he fails to grasp the thrust of their position at all. The sections on sexuality is certainly poetic, even moving, but whether plausible is another question.
For all these flaws, however, Scruton's conservatism is important if for no other reason that it being a challenge to a certain liberal orthodoxy involving abstract universal rights. Scruton's emphasis instead of aesthetics, community, and history provide a framework that would be alien to much professional philosophy, but certainly familiar to the layperson.
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July 25, 2013"While this is a book brimming with observations and arguments, some surprising, many provocative, all engaging, the overwhelming sense is of sadness. Scruton is a conservative, and the business of a conservative is to strive—whether by advocacy or direct action—to conserve what is valuable but in danger of being forgotten, destroyed, or lost. This requires not only a willingness to defend the good but a proper understanding of what is good."
Read the full review, "Lamenting the Human Predicament," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...
Read the full review, "Lamenting the Human Predicament," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...
February 28, 2024
Excellent…
As with everything I have read from Sir Roger, excellent writing. A couple of these essays I had previously read while reading other works but they did not distract from this book. My only regrets I did not even know of Roger Scruton until after his untimely death. Highly recommended…SLT
As with everything I have read from Sir Roger, excellent writing. A couple of these essays I had previously read while reading other works but they did not distract from this book. My only regrets I did not even know of Roger Scruton until after his untimely death. Highly recommended…SLT
May 19, 2017
This is a great introduction to a contemporary intellectual -- a serious thinker and master of high culture! -- who should be better known.
March 11, 2024
Readers too young to remember Margaret Thatcher may not realize that Scruton was once associated with her, and that he was considered a conservative by British standards. This ‘label’ gave him some difficulties in life, but one who approaches him today should be aware that there is virtually nothing in Scruton’s philosophy that compares to what passes for ‘conservative’ in contemporary America. This collection of excerpts and essays from various of Scruton’s publications includes his essay ‘How I Became a Conservative’ explaining how he witnessed the chaos of Paris in 1968 with the kind of horror Burke experienced during the French Revolution. I particularly enjoyed ‘Classicism Now’ with its trenchant criticism of Modernism in architecture. His comparison of Michaelangelo’s Campidoglio with Lincoln center is right on the mark. His essay on environmentalism is worthwhile, and suggests how the concept might be pitched as ‘oikophilia’, a ‘love of one’s home’ with a desire to preserve and better its surroundings. Scruton was became a farmer who has encouraged all his neighbors to carry on their traditional cultivation and market their wares with great success. The British love their countryside and dearly wish to preserve it for generations to come.
Please note that I do not consider myself a political ‘conservative’, but I admire most of what Scruton espouses. I could only wish that American politicians were as erudite and thoughtful as Sir Roger Scruton, or that they would at least read his books.
Please note that I do not consider myself a political ‘conservative’, but I admire most of what Scruton espouses. I could only wish that American politicians were as erudite and thoughtful as Sir Roger Scruton, or that they would at least read his books.
May 30, 2021
I have only recently been exposed to the late Roger Scruton's works, but have apparently missed out on much my whole life. Scruton is the author of 40 books and hundreds of essays, columns, etc. His works touch on a wide range of topics and the editor of this volume was careful to select broadly across his opus.
Sixteen essays in this book cover everything from the philosophy of wine, to thoughts on hunying, the philosophy of love, conservative conservationism, to more traditional works of political philosophy.
Scruton died just over a year ago in January 2020 and the world is poorer by one humane defender of the permanent, important things: community, home, and settlement.
Recommended.
Sixteen essays in this book cover everything from the philosophy of wine, to thoughts on hunying, the philosophy of love, conservative conservationism, to more traditional works of political philosophy.
Scruton died just over a year ago in January 2020 and the world is poorer by one humane defender of the permanent, important things: community, home, and settlement.
Recommended.
April 28, 2015
Why I am a conservative je sjajan tekst koji svatko treba pročitati. Naravno i drugi su tekstovi sjajni, ali sukus (biografski i teorijski) je u tom prvom tekstu...
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews