The Conservative Sensibility

April 1, 2019
It’s time to return to the wisdom of the founding fathers, argues this sweeping political manifesto from Washington Post columnist Will (Men at Work). Will grounds his conservative ideology in the doctrine of inalienable rights rooted in unchanging human nature as articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, which prescribe limited government that protects life and liberty while leaving the pursuit of happiness up to self-reliant individuals. He contends that America went off-track with the rival ideology of progressivism, promoted by President Woodrow Wilson and his successors, which, Will argues, wants the state to shape human nature and control too many aspects of social and economic well-being; the result he sees is intrusive government, unsustainable health care and pension entitlements, corrupt preferments for elites, ill-advised military adventures, welfare dependency, and disintegrating families. Will centers the book on a rich, wide-ranging discussion of political philosophy written in graceful, aphoristic prose (“The redistributionist state inevitably distributes upward”). In many respects it’s a challenge to today’s populist conservatism as well: Will is pessimistic about the wisdom of voters who embrace populism and enjoins readers to embrace “the disruption ... that accompanies economic and cultural dynamism,” which he sees Trump voters seeking to be shielded from. Both liberals and conservatives will find much to argue with here, but Will offers a formidable, thought-provoking riposte to conventional dogmas. Agent: Robert Barnett, Williams & Connolly.

Narrator Peter Ganim's deeply resonant voice is a wonderful instrument for the pitch and pacing patterns that make this audiobook so effective. Masculine but not overbearing, his vocal confidence makes listening an uplifting experience and is a good fit for the likable rectitude of author George Will. This is philosophical writing by a political science professor, so you'll hear about abstract concepts such as natural rights and human virtue. But Will brings them down to earth by showing how these ideas play out in the policy debates that divide conservatives and progressives today. For example, Will believes central legislative action will not remedy the degrading effect of single-parent families and institutional decline without robbing people of their dignity. Ganim's vocal humanity makes Will's limited government views sound inviting. T.W. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine