Category: Conservative Features

Conservative Features, Essays

Originalism: An Introduction

In recent weeks, the judicial philosophy of originalism has been in the news thanks to the confirmation hearings of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Many discussions of originalism, however, have caricatured its understanding of the judicial role. We hope to address these misconceptions by clearly defining originalism.  Simply put, originalism insists that judges interpret the Constitution based on the original public meaning of its text. Although … Continue reading Originalism: An Introduction

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Conservative Features, October '20

America on the Precipice: Why 2020 Truly is a Seminal Election

“This is the most important election of your lives!” This claim has been repeated almost ad nauseam, to the point of being nearly meaningless. How many times have you heard this in the span of the average election cycle? Perhaps even more revealing is the number of elections you have heard this said about. Because of its frequent usage, this claim likely elicits a skeptical … Continue reading America on the Precipice: Why 2020 Truly is a Seminal Election

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Conservative Features, October '20

Mythical Samizdat

Mythology has long allowed cultures to connect with and find meaning in their past, encouraged them to work in the present, and taught them to hope for their future. By grounding individuals in their environment and tying them to their community, myth served as the grounding for nearly all cultures and civilizations throughout the Ancient and pre-Modern world. Myth teaches morals, and a civilization without … Continue reading Mythical Samizdat

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Conservative Features, Micah Meadowcroft

Let’s not go there: the Church of England’s female bishops

by Micah Meadowcroft The Church of England General Synod voted Monday to allow women to become bishops. This follows the ordination of female priests in 1994. While the measure will now need to be approved by the ecclesiastical committee of parliament and receive the assent of the Queen, observers expect the first female bishops to be appointed by the end of the year.   While … Continue reading Let’s not go there: the Church of England’s female bishops

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Brett Wierenga, Conservative Features, December 2013, Reviews

Lambasting Straussians by Brett Wierenga

Paul Gottfried is not impressed by the Straussian project. His latest book, Leo Strauss and the Conservative Movement in America, is part history, part polemic, and part intellectual version of Mythbusters. For anyone confused by the Straussian debate that occasionally rears its head on our campus, this book is a great place to start, but a terrible place to end. Gottfried presents an adequate overview … Continue reading Lambasting Straussians by Brett Wierenga

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Conservative Features, December 2013, James Inwood

A Discourse on Discourse by James Inwood

Today’s America is a bitterly polarized society. When people argue politics, they do so presuming that to disagree the other person must either be stupid or malevolent. If someone is prominent in an opposing party, their motivations immediately become suspect; anything they propose to do is considered a conspiracy to destroy goodness and trash America. Whenever something bad happens, it becomes either part of “their … Continue reading A Discourse on Discourse by James Inwood

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Conservative Features, December 2013, Micah Meadowcroft

The Obligation of Perfection by Micah Meadowcroft

This article is adapted from a lecture given by Mr. Meadowcroft to the Fairfield Society. You all have a vocation. Not just a future calling for future fulfillment. You have a vocation now. And while you each possess a unique vocation, one that you will fail or succeed in fulfilling someday, now, in this time and place, you share the call to be a student. Whatever … Continue reading The Obligation of Perfection by Micah Meadowcroft

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Conservative Features, December 2013, Sarah Albers

The Insufficiency of Convention by Sarah Albers

Two fundamental beliefs guide conservative thought. Namely, that human nature is immutable and that one may distill the precepts of natural law by observation of this permanent nature. Early progressives began by moving away from the idea of natural law, then finally denied the permanence of human nature altogether. Man, in the eyes of liberalism, is an organism fully integrated into society. He is a … Continue reading The Insufficiency of Convention by Sarah Albers

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Conservative Features, December 2013, Luke Adams

The Need for Further Self-Governance at Hillsdale by Luke Adams

Modern civil government has two essential parts. The first part is the collection and disbursement of state funds to support the government and any additional causes the public deems worthy. The second part is the enforcement of laws and regulations. Hillsdale College seeks to instill the virtue of self-government in the student body, but it does not implement a full understanding of this idea. We … Continue reading The Need for Further Self-Governance at Hillsdale by Luke Adams

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Conservative Features, October 2013

Who Would Jesus Deport?

Does the Bible call all Christians to abandon the enforcement of immigration laws?  The potential economic, cultural, and national security threats posed by illegal immigration fuel the common conservative conviction that all undocumented workers ought to be brought to justice. Yet often believers instinctively support a political view, assuming it is Biblical, before they test it against precepts laid out in Scripture. On closer examination, … Continue reading Who Would Jesus Deport?

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