What is “the Right”? That’s the question we’ve been exploring on Giving Ventures’ summer podcast series. From the Freedom Conservatives and Libertarians, to the New Right and Traditionalists, we’ve been journeying across the ideological landscape of American Conservatism, speaking with the leaders who are shaping today’s debates. Our hope, is that by listening to this series you may walk away with a newfound understanding of what it means to be on the Right and an enriched context to help you think about your philanthropy.
While each branch of Conservatism and Libertarianism we’ve explored so far offers a distinct vison, they all share a core conviction: America is worth conserving. Whether their emphasis is on liberty, virtue, community, or tradition, each group expresses concern for the cultural and political moment we are in today, and each is working towards renewing the American ideal.
The theme of liberty’s tension with order and tradition is woven through each episode, and our various guests all have different ways of looking at how to hold these values together. Over the course of the series, we’ve come to understand that the Right isn’t static. It’s constantly adapting old principles to new problems and wrestling with how best to preserve liberty, promote order, and build a society where both individuals and communities can thrive.
As you listen, you’ll find that each faction on the Right has its own language, an emphasis and a vocabulary that is its own. Our New Right guests had a way of always coming back to concrete public policy questions, whereas the Freedom Conservatives and Fusionists liked to talk about ideals and principles. Our Libertarian friends are thinking about the future, while the Traditionalists love to recount the past.
With the big picture in mind, here’s a look at each faction we have covered in this series and the leaders that are helping us define our place in today’s Right.
FreeCons: The Freedom-First Coalition
We began this series with the Freedom Conservatives, or FreeCons, represented by Avik Roy and John Hood. In the episode conversation, Avik and John share how the Freedom Conservatism movement reaffirms the American Founding’s classical-liberal ideals of limited government, free markets, and individual liberty. In a time when many on the Right are growing skeptical of these principles, FreeCons argue they are not outdated, but essential. They see freedom as a timeless framework for addressing the challenges we face today without sacrificing core American values.
Libertarians: The Principled Outsiders
In episode two, we hear from Libertarians Katherine and Peter emphasize that individuals, not government, are best equipped to make decisions about their own lives. Whether in markets, speech, or personal choices, liberty should be the guiding principle of a flourishing society.
The New Right: Reclaiming the Nation
Next, we turned to two of the New Right’s most influential figures: Oren Cass and Nick Solheim. In sharp contrast to the Libertarians and FreeCons, the New Right challenges the laissez-faire assumptions of the status quo. For Oren and Nick, family, community, and the nation should never take a backseat to the pursuit of economic growth. Rather, these are the ends that leaders in Washington should aim to protect and strengthen through the means of economic policy. As such, the New Right proposes a Conservatism that’s more comfortable with using government power to shape outcomes. Thanks to the hard work of folks like Oren and Nick, New Right thinking has gained traction among the younger generation of Conservatives who are eager to preserve the founding values of our country.
Traditionalists: Preserving What Matters Most
Episode four features Daniel McCarthy and Luke Sheahan, Traditionalist thinkers who emphasize the history of America’s political institutions and the Western inheritance of the past three millennia. Their conversation traces the lineage of Conservative thought since the Second World War and draws on centuries of tradition and history in the West. Less focused on the policy fights of the day, the Traditionalists remind us that politics is not ultimate. Instead, Traditionalists stress the vital role of mediating institutions like family, church, and community. It’s these institutions, they argue, that form the true foundations of a flourishing society.
Fusionism: Liberty and Virtue Together
In our fifth episode, Stephanie Slade and Tim Chapman explore Fusionism, the philosophy that fuses together a Libertarian emphasis on freedom and Traditionalist focus on virtue and order. Their idea is simple: Liberty and virtue are in tension, yes, but they are interdependent and sustain one another. They explain that Fusionism isn’t just a coalition or strategy from the Cold War era, but a philosophical tradition that comes to us from the American Founding. With the rise of populism on the Right, Stephanie and Tim agree that Fusionism remains the best way forward. Rather than deepening the divide, they are working to “broaden the tent” and renew the foundation of the Right.
If you’ve enjoyed this look across the spectrum of Conservatism, make sure to tune in. Each episode brings these ideas to life in conversation with today’s leading voices in the Conservative and Libertarian movement. Soon, we’ll be turning to the various religious inflections of the nonprofit scene on the Right.
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