The Conservative Soul

Noted journalist Andrew Sullivan argues that true conservatism is not religious fundamentalism and it is not authoritarianism, though in the political climate of the book?s writing it seems to be so. Sullivan identifies the modern conservatism that is dominant today as moralistic, bullying its way and cloaking its agenda in the umbrella of the religious right. It has lost its essential skepticism and its unease with big government. Sullivan contrasts the new conservatism with what he considers the more reasoned and reasonable conservatism of, say William F. Buckley and the National Review of decades back, which he prefers. The learned Mr. Sullivan argues here for the acceptance of homosexuality and for gay marriage, and his arguments run along lines of freedom and liberty, and the idea that government, acting minimally and with restraint, provides for these. These arguments will be familiar to fans of Mr. Sullivan?s work, who have followed his articles in the New York Times, The New Republic, and on his blog, the Daily Dish. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.