American conservatism / edited by Sanford V. Levinson, Joel Parker, and Melissa S. Williams.

"About half of the essays date back to panels of the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy that were held in January of 2007 (at the annual meeting of the American Association of Law Schools; the remainder were delivered at a conference held at the University of Texas Law in September 2012"--Preface.

A history of inherent contradictions: the origins and end of American conservatism / James R. Kurth -- An interpretation of American conservative thought: political issues : conceptual differences, and attitudinal disjunctions / David Sidorsky -- Conservatism in America?: a response to Sidorsky / Patrick J. Deneen -- The worms and the octopus: religious freedom, pluralism, and conservatism / Richard W. Garnett -- Anti-governmentism in conservative thought: a note on Garnett's conception of religious freedom / Ingrid Creppell -- Constitutive stories about the common law in modern American conservatism / Ken I. Kersch -- The role of conservatism in securing and maintaining just moral constitutions: toward a theory of complex normative systems / Gerald Gaus -- Constitutional conservatism and American conservatism / Johnathan O'Neill -- Fighting over the conservative banner / Carl T. Bogus -- Uniting conservatives: comments on Bogus's trifurcated conservatism / Eldon Eisenach -- Leo Strauss and American conservative thought and politics / Nathan Tarcov -- What fascism teaches us / Arthur J. Jacobson -- Segregation, aggression, and executive power: Leo Strauss and 'the boys' / Alan Gilbert.

Is there what might be termed an 'exceptional' form of conservatism that is characteristically American, in contrast to conservatisms found in other countries? Are views that are identified in the United States as conservative necessarily congruent with what political theorists might classify under that label? Or does much American conservatism almost necessarily reflect the distinctly liberal background of American political thought? In this book, a distinguished group of American political and legal scholars reflect on these crucial questions, unpacking the very nature and development of American conservative thought. They examine both the historical and contemporary realities of arguments offered by self-conscious conservatives in the United States, offering a well-rounded view of the state of this field.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (EBSCO, viewed March 29, 2016).

"The topic of American conservatism is especially timely, and perhaps volatile. Is there what might be termed an 'exceptional' form of conservatism that is characteristically American, in contrast to conservatisms found in other countries? Are views that are identified in the United States as conservative necessarily congruent with what political theorists might classify under that label? Or does much American conservatism almost necessarily reflect the distinctly liberal background of American political thought? [This book reflects] on these crucial questions, unpacking the very nature and development of American conservative thought. They examine both the historical and contemporary realities of arguments offered by self-conscious conservatives in the United States, offering a well-rounded view of the state of this field. In addition to synoptic overviews of the various dimensions of American conservative thought, specific attention is paid to such topics as American constitutionalism, the role of religion and religious institutions, and the particular impact of the late Leo Strauss on American thought and thinkers. Just as American conservatism includes a wide, and sometimes conflicting, group of thinkers, the essays in this volume themselves reflect differing and sometimes controversial assessments of the theorists under discussion."-- Back cover.

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