In an age of rampant informalities, shoddy attire, and the kind of milieu that makes People of Walmart a possibility, conservatives stand athwart history yelling STOP!  Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is the impeccably dressed Samuel Goldman to explore how conservatism informs the world of fashion, why legendary figures on the Right from Russell Kirk to Albert J Nock to Willmoore Kendall wore such questionably lavish accessories, the connective tissues between intellectual conservatism and 90s era punk rock, and much more.

About Samuel Goldman

Samuel Goldman is an associate professor of political science at George Washington University, where he is also executive director of the John L. Loeb, Jr. Institute for Religious Freedom and director of the Politics & Values Program.

Samuel is the Editor of FUSION, an online journal inspired by the belief that Western civilization is defined by intertwined threads of freedom and tradition, innovation and order, rights and duties.  In addition to academic work, his writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.

His most recent book, After Nationalism: Being American in a Divided Age was published by University of Pennsylvania Press in spring 2021.  His first book God’s Country: Christian Zionism in America was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2018.  Samuel received his Ph.D. from Harvard and taught at Harvard and Princeton before coming to GW.  You can follow Samuel on Twitter @SWGoldman

For those interested in learning more about men’s fashion, Samuel recommends the following resources:

Blogs

Put This On

Die, Workwear

Necktie Salvage

Books

Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion

True Style: The History and Principles of Classic Menswear

The Casual Style Guide

Gentleman: A Timeless Guide to Fashion

Hollywood and the Ivy Look

Saving Elephants is coming to YouTube!

We’re thrilled to announce that Saving Elephants will be launching a YouTube channel in August with full-length episodes, exclusive shorts, and even live events!  Further details coming soon...

In an age where what passes for the archetype conservative are the likes of Candace Owens, Bill Mitchell, Sean Hannity, Matt Gaetz, Tomi Lahren, and Donald Trump, it can be discouraging for those of us who take pride in the rich legacy and colorful history of thinkers on the Right to be associated with such grifters, demagogues, and charlatans.

Trying to define conservatism is challenging and trying to compile a list of individuals who best exemplify conservatism is problematic.  Yet this is becoming increasingly important in a world where “conservatism” is quickly being coopted by reactionary nationalist populists who have little to nothing in common with the namesake.

In this episode Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis offers his list of conservative thinkers well worthy of your time and attention. 

Disclaimer

This list is imperfect and incomplete.  If I were to revisit the list next year or possibly even next week, I’m sure there are plenty of names I’d believe should supplant the names here.  Some of these individuals may even be uncomfortable with the label “conservative”, though they all share aspects of the broader conservative worldview.  The names below are not listed in order of preference or importance, but they are all insightful and noteworthy.

The fifty individuals discussed in this episode are noted below.  If you’d like to learn more about each one you can check out the original blog post of Fifty Conservative Thinkers for a brief bio and links.

Josh’s (Incomplete) List of Fifty Conservative Thinkers Worth Your Time

Edmund Burke

Milton Friedman

Wilhelm Röpke

David Bahnsen

F.A. Hayek

John Adams

Frederick Douglass

Thomas Sowell

James Madison

Barry Goldwater

Ronald Reagan

Bradley J. Birzer

Russell Kirk

Matthew Continetti

David French

Gertrude Himmelfarb

George Nash

Stephen J. Tonsor

Roger Scruton

Jacques Ellul

Whittaker Chambers

Michael Oakeshott

Eric Voegelin

Timothy Carney

C.S. Lewis

G.K. Chesterton

Jonah Goldberg

Wendell Berry

T.S. Eliot

Ross Douthat

Mary Eberstadt

M. Stanton Evans

Irving Kristol

George Will

William F. Buckley

Kristen Soltis Anderson

Robert Nisbet

Carly Fiorina

Arthur Brooks

Marian Tupy

Charles Marohn

Patrick Deneen

Harry Jaffa

Walter Williams

Frank S. Meyer

Alexis de Tocqueville

Lord Acton

Leo Stauss

Willmoore Kendall

Yuval Levin