First Principles Series Report posted September 2, 2009 by Paul Rahe, James W. Ceaser, Ph.D., Thomas G. West
Soft Despotism, Democracy's Drift: What Tocqueville Teaches Today
Editor's Note: The following
exchange is adapted from a public conversation among Paul Rahe
(Hillsdale College), James Ceaser (University of Virginia), and
Thomas West (University of Dallas) that took place at The Heritage
Foundation on April 16, 2009, the date of release for Paul Rahe's
book SoftDespotism, Democracy's Drift, and the 150th
anniversary of the death…
Play Movie
Video Recorded on April 17, 2009
Soft Despotism, Democracy's Drift: What de Tocqueville Teach
Despotism can come in many forms. In Democracy in America, Alexis
de Tocqueville cautioned readers about the possibility that
democracy would result in a soft despotism of expanding
paternalistic state power that gradually undermines self-government…
First Principles Series Report posted December 10, 2008 by James W. Ceaser, Ph.D.
How to Think About the Foundations of American Conservatism
Contemporary American conservatism,
which is notorious for its internal factionalism, is held together
by a self-evident truth: conservatives' shared antipathy to modern
liberalism. Their main objections are well-known.
Almost to a man or woman, conservatives
oppose using government authority to enforce a vision of greater
equality labeled by its supporters, with…
Lecture posted March 10, 2006 by James W. Ceaser, Ph.D.
Creed Versus Culture: Alternative Foundations of American Conservatism
Contemporary American conservatism, which
is notorious for its internal factionalism, is held together by a
self-evident truth: conservatives' shared antipathy to liberalism.
Their main objections are well-known.
Almost to a man or woman, conservatives
oppose using government authority to enforce a vision of greater
equality labeled by its supporters, with great…