Here is a quick list of 'must-reads' for all of you who wish to expand your understanding of conservatism and libertarianism. These are the sorts of books that will deeply affect you and force you to reconsider the stances you've taken up to now. More importantly, studying the rich intellectual heritage of American conservative and libertarian ideas will arm you with the necessary knowledge to push back those who assail them. If you've never heard of or read any of these works before, then you're in for a real treat. Cliche as it sounds, most of these books have been life-changing for millions of people who identify with the fundamental principles of a free society. So, here they are. I'll categorize them by author. You see that some of these authors are contemporary, while others are quite old, but it is great
F.A. Hayek
1. The Road to Serfdom
2. The Constitution of Liberty
3. The Fatal Conceit
Thomas Sowell
1. The Vision of the Anointed
2. Conflict of Visions: the ideological origins of political struggles.
3. Basic Economics
4. Knowledge and Decisions
5. Cosmic Justice
Milton Friedman
1. Free to Choose
2. Capitalism and Freedom
Russell Kirk
1. The Conservative Mind
Adam Smith
1. Wealth of Nations
Barry Goldwater
1. Conscience of a Conservative
Alfred Regnery
1. Upstream
William F. Buckley
1. God and Man at Yale
John Locke
1. Two Treatises on Government
Edmund Burke
1. Reflections on the French Revolution
John Jay, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton
1. The Federalist Papers
Thomas Jefferson
1. Declaration of Independence
James Madison (mostly)
1. The Constitution of the United States of America
George Nash
1. The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America since 1945
Bernard Bailyn
1. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
David Boaz
1. Libertarianism: A Primer
Ludwig von Mises
1. Human Action
Dinesh D'Souza
1. Letters to a Young Conservative
Allan Bloom
1. The Closing of the American Mind
Clarence Thomas
1. My Grandfather's Son
Ronald Reagan
The Reagan Diaries
This is a short list that I've taken off the top of my head. Please do comment and add to the list.
Addenda: Here are other similar lists compiled by groups such as the Young America Foundation.
1. YAF Reading List
2. Jonah Goldberg's Picks
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
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