This is a major contribution to political thought from conservatism's greatest contemporary proponent. Originally published in Britain in 1980 and revised in 1984, this edition - the first ever in the United States - is a major rewriting of the work. Scruton's idea of conservatism - what in America we tend to call "paleo-conservatism" - might well shock the sensibilities of those American "conservatives" who view it as little more than the workings of the free market. Conservatism, says Scruton, is neither automatic hostility toward the state nor the desire to limit the state's obligations toward the citizen. Rather, conservatism regards the individual not as the premise but the conclusion of politics, a politics that is fundamentally opposed to the ethic of social justice, to equality of station, income, and achievement, or to the attempt to bring major institutions of society (such as schools and universities) under government control.

The conservative outlook, says Scruton, is neither outmoded nor irrational. On the contrary, it is the most reasonable of political alternatives. The evils of socialism, he maintains, lie precisely where its supporters find its strengths, and the conditions for the credibility of socialism have long since disappeared. Neither socialism nor liberalism can come to terms with the real complexity of human society, and both appear plausible only because they direct attention away from what is actual, toward what is merely ideal.

罗杰・斯克拉顿

是当代的一位最具代表性、也是最具争议的保守主义理论家。1975年，斯克拉顿加入保守主义哲学小组，1976年又成为索尔兹伯里小组(Salisbury Group)的重要成员。1982年，斯克拉顿开始主编《索尔兹伯里评论》(Salisbury Review)，该刊很快就成为英国乃至西欧最有影响的保守主义刊物。斯克拉顿全面阐述了保守主义的基本原则，强调传统的作用，主张加强法治，维护社会秩序，强化国家的权威。