Another meeting of opposition-minded people took place not far from Prague. It was well organised, very socially pleasant and somewhat flat in its ideas. The kind of event where the audience wants to hear that the green deal is bad, four speakers tell them one after the other that the green deal is bad, they get thunderous applause, everyone is happy, and no one knows anything they didn’t already know before it started.
About the only one that stood out was the performance of anthropology professor Ivo Budil, who, instead of the required platitudes, presented a critical view of contemporary conservative thinking and at the same time a proposal on how to get out of it. His speech was dense, so I am giving my excerpts.
- Conservatives need to separate themselves from the political struggles of the 19th century. They could never understand the French Revolution and other revolutions, they often defended injustice, and it is unacceptable to go back to that.
- Conservatism should not be nostalgic. It should be based on the study of history, and we know from history how ephemeral empires are, but also ideas and values.
- Conservatism shouldn’t cling to values and traditions. It undermines our intellect without making us better.
- Conservatism should seek to recognize and reckon with enduring patterns of human action. Better Jung than Burke.