The Institute of Philosophy of RCH invites you to a presentation by Ferenc Hörcher entitled  The relevance of art and culture for conservatism - Roger Scruton's case.

 Online respondent: Anthony O'Hear (Buckingham University)

Abstract:

In a recent book, I tried to show the relevance of a claim that Roger Scruton argued for: that culture is upstream from politics. The present talk provides a summary of this position, which I claim is crucial to understand classical British conservatism, from Burke, through Eliot to Oakeshott and Scruton. This summary will distinguish two levels of conservative thought. I will argue that British conservatives will remain in their political philosophy within the constraints of the tradition of rule of law, representative parliamentary democracy and common law-based non-statutory constitutionalism. One can regard this view as non-substantialist philosophically. On the other hand, British conservatism is not simply interested in describing the minimum political conditions of the proper operations of the particular polity. It is also interested in a certain form of life, a certain understanding of culture as a communal experience, and a certain view of communal life in general, based on those values, which crystallised from the past as its most important gems, shedding light upon the human condition in general. I will argue that these two levels together can build up a nuanced and thoroughly explained, if not necessarily non-contradictory form of conservatism.

This conclusion leads me to my next book project, contracted with Palgrave Macmillan: An Aristotelian Account of Civility – Culture and Politics.

Date: 9 May 2023, Tuesday, 14:00

Location: Institute of Philosophy, Research Centre for the Humanities, 1097 Budapest, Tóth Kálmán Street 4., 7th floor, Room „Trapéz” (B.7.16)

You can also join the event online at the following link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86418628547?pwd=YUJiM0FZMTFxWTVqOXlWeTR3azZPZz09