The founders of modern conservatism Part 5 Fred Hutchison

 Prior to 1600 A.D., much of what we now regard as conservative ideas was taken for granted by most people of the West. Although some counter-cultural ideas emerged during the late Medieval and Renaissance eras, they had no long-term historical traction. In the last essay (part 4), we considered how leading Western philosophers during the period 1600–1800 A.D. undercut rational metaphysics and faith and promoted a destructive skepticism — thereby setting the stage for a rising liberal tide and a long-term cultural decline after 1800 A.D.
During the same period, a series of great men laid the foundations of modern conservatism. Although Western conservative principles and ideals are ancient, as outlined in parts 1–3 of this series, new foundations were needed to ensure a tough and resilient conservatism that could weather the intellectual, moral, and spiritual storms of modernity, and which could be a robust competitor of liberalism. This essay (part 5) is about a few of the founders of modern conservatism who lived from 1600–1800.

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