The first, and perhaps most important, tenet of Burke’s political advise is the importance of compromise: So permit me to jot down some of these ideas. I feel slightly odd saying such things about a proud monarchist, and a founder of modern conservatism but I cannot deny being captivated by his way of thinking. He is full of perspicacious insights into politics, and wise maxims of government. He is a master of the written word, and a pleasure to read.īut, as I said, Burke is far more than a silver-tongued sophist. A dazzling piece of rhetoric it surely is Burke’s writing style is in a league with Gibbon’s for eloquence, elegance, and power. “Burke is such a good writer,” he told me, “that he momentarily convinced me that monarchy is a great idea.” A writer good enough to do that, I thought, was worth a read and since I recently read Thomas Paine’s refutation of Burke’s attack on the French Revolution, The Rights of Man, it seemed like the perfect time to give Burke a go.īut now, after reading this book, I think it is far more than a dazzling piece of rhetoric. What first attracted me to Edmund Burke was the endorsement of a friend.
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