In 1953 a little-known political theorist Russell Kirk repurposed his doctoral dissertation as a book for publication. His book, The Conservative Mind, would quickly become a bestseller, give the nascent conservative movement its name and intellectual moorings, be reviewed and debated in respectable publications across the country, and launch its author to international fame.

Seventy years later, the book is still going strong. Now on its seventh edition and reprinted in multiple languages, The Conservative Mind is among the indispensable tomes for understanding the conservative movement. In this episode, Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis is joined by Michael Lucchese to explore the enduring legacy of The Conservative Mind at seventy.

About Michael Lucchese

Michael Lucchese is the founder and CEO of Pipe Creek Consulting, a communications firm based in Washington, D.C., and a visiting scholar at the Liberty Fund. Previously, he was a communications aide to U.S. Senator Ben Sasse.

He received a BA in American Studies at Hillsdale College and was a Hudson Institute Political Studies fellow and an alumnus of the Röpke-Wojtyła Fellowship at Catholic University of America's Busch School of Business.

His writing have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Examiner and National Review, Engelsberg Ideas, Public Discourse, and Law & Liberty. Michael Lucchese is from Chicago, Illinois.

The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal Celebrates the 70th Anniversary of ,The Conservative Mind

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of Russell Kirk’s landmark book, The Conservative Mind, the Russell Kirk Center cordially invites you to join them for a special evening event with a panel of emerging conservative thinkers: Adapting Conservatism for the Current Generation

The celebration will be held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, December 5.

Reserve Your Tickets

While Leo Strauss was famous for influencing men and women who became intellectual heavyweights in the conservative movement—names like Allan Bloom, Irving Kristol, Harvey Mansfield, Thomas Pangle barely scratch the surface—few stand as tall as Harry Jaffa. A cantankerous and quarrelsome debater to some and a beloved architect of restoring conservatism to a more American-focused and principled-based approach to others, Jaffa lived a remarkably long and productive life. His writings persuaded William F. Buckley, Jr. away from a more sympathetically Southern conservatism and, with it, the whole of the conservative movement.

Joining Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis to explore the legacy of Harry Jaffa is returning guest Seth Root, who was last seen in episode 83 discussing the virtues of Straussianism.

About Seth Root

Seth Root is a self-described Claremont Institute hack who doesn’t care for Edmund Burke, but we love him anyway. He was the cohost of the tragically defunct In The Trenches Podcast, a show for conversations with people that are right in the middle of the war of ideas. Seth was a fellow at Conservative Partnership Institute and an intern at the James Wilson Institute on Natural Rights and the American Founding. He currently works for the Oregon State Senate. You can follow Seth on Twitter @SethRoot1