Against the Tide

Roger Scruton's influence as one of the leading conservative philosophers of the twentieth century means he is known and respected across the English-speaking world, and beyond itThis collection draws together his reviews, criticism and essays on a wide array of subjects from the environment to racism, global warming to music, fascism to architecture. Essays are arranged thematically.As conservatives navigate the post-Trump era, thinkers like Roger Scruton provide a basis on which to build a new political perspectiveSir Roger Scruton was a philosopher and polymath who wrote over fifty books. He was Professor of Aesthetics at Birkbeck College, London; University Professor at Boston University, and a visiting professor at Oxford University. Mark Dooley is an Irish author, philosopher and journalist who has taught at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, and at University College Dublin. Dooley is Sir Roger Scruton's Literary Executor.'His moral courage shines through from the start.' - Sunday Telegraph The definitive edition of the late Sir Roger Scruton's philosophical and political essays and reviews, now collected in one volume. The philosopher Roger Scruton was the leading conservative thinker of the post-war years. In this book are assembled the very best of his essays and commentaries, arranged thematically. The selection has been made and edited by Mark Dooley, Scruton's literary executor. Throughout this collection, Scruton proves himself to be at his most scintillating and controversial. He writes with passion and conviction about such varied topics as feminism, racism, fascism, Tony Blair and Donald Trump, as well as subjects like global warming, music and architecture. He takes aim at those who defy conservative common sense in favour of liberal falsehoods. This book shows Scruton at his most brilliant and demonstrates how his influence will remain strong and enduring.The definitive edition of the late Sir Roger Scruton's philosophical and political essays and reviews, now collected in one volume edited by Mark Dooley.Preface: The Work That Must Be Done Part One: Who Am I? My Life Beyond the Pale Roger Scruton Says 'Put a Cork in It' My Week: July 2005 My Week: January 2006 My Week: April 2006 The Flame That Was Snuffed Out by Freedom Finding Scrutopia in the Czech Republic Diary - August 2016 Part Two: Who Are We? The Conservative Conscience The Blair Legacy A Question of Temperament The Meaning of Margaret Thatcher Identity, Marriage, Family: Our Core Conservative Values Have Been Betrayed What Trump Doesn't Get About Conservatism Part Three: Why The Left Is Never Right The Ideology of Human Rights Who is a Fascist? In Praise of Privilege A Hominist Homily In Loco Parentis McCarthy Was Right on the Red Menace A Focus of Loyalty Higher than the State The Art of Taking Offence Part Four: Intimations of Infinity De Anima A Matter of Life and Deathlessness Dawkins Is Wrong about God Altruism and Selfishness Memo to Hawking: There's Still Room for God Humans Hunger for the Sacred: Why Can't the New Atheists Understand That? Part Five: The End of Education The Virtue of Irrelevance The Open University and the Closed Mind The End of Education The Plague of Sociology Know Your Place Universities' War against the Truth Part Six: Fraudulent Philosophy A Note on Foucault The Triumph of Nothingness Freud and Fraud If Only Chomsky Had Stuck to Syntax Part Seven: The West and the Rest In Memory of Iran The Lesson of Lebanon Decent Debate Mustn't Be the Victim The Wrong Way to Treat President Putin Why Iraq Is a Write-Off Part Eight: Cultural Corruption The Art of Motor-Cycle Maintenance Temples of Anxiety The Modern Cult of Ugliness High Culture Is Being Corrupted by a Culture of Fakes Part Nine: Animal Rights, Pulpit Politics and Sex Male Domination The Pestilence of Pulpit Politics On the Eating of Fish Obligations of the Flesh Eat Animals! It's for Their Own Good Sextants and Sexting Tally Ho! Let the Hunt Remind Us of Who We Are Part Ten: Annus Horribilis and Last Words Diary After My Own Dark Night My 2019 IndexEvery piece is a masterclass in prose style and a reminder of how he earned such widespread popular affection.His moral courage shines through from the start.This is inspirational thought delivered by graceful language about politics and aesthetics that will continue to attract and influence readers.. A brilliantly stimulating selection of the journalism by the late Sir Roger Scruton. These are little masterpieces of philosophical polemic.The writings expertly collected in Against the Tide go a long way to illuminating Scruton's humane and dignified conservatism.On every page, the reader encounters a mind passionately at work, seeking to reconcile everyday problems with a moral sense.Against the Tide is a concise but rich selection of some of Scruton's writings for various journals, magazines, and newspapers . What a pleasure to see so many of these pieces back in print . it is hard to imagine a better introduction to Scruton's work than this wonderful, endlessly readable volume.Over 40 years of Scruton's columns and commentaries, published and unpublished, as well as diary entries are gifted to us in this remarkably concise but substantive volume.Reading Scruton will help us rekindle the search for what is good, true, and beautiful, and, more importantly, recognize them (and their opposites) when we see them.A collection of his finest writing.Scruton stood apart in Britain as a thinker. His writing continues to illuminate, and he is sorely missed.