Why I, Too, Am Not a Conservative
From kwharrison13.com · Anti-library
Why I, Too, Am Not a Conservative
| Author | James M. Buchanan |
|---|---|
| Published | 2005 |
| Pages | 111 |
| Recommended | Once |
| Buy | Amazon |
| Why it’s on the list | A short late book in which Buchanan, founder of public choice and a Nobel laureate, distinguishes his classical liberalism from conservatism: the case for limited government rests on rules chosen by people who do not know which side of them they will end up on, not on deference to inherited order or confidence that those in charge will be wise. |
Where I heard about it
- Brendan McCord — on his Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List, at the front of the Public Choice Theory sub-section, March 2026, as the school’s normative self-description — what the positive analysis of political behaviour is supposed to be in service of. Full transcription: The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List.
About this edition
The title answers Hayek’s “Why I Am Not a Conservative” and adds the “too.”
Connections
- The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List — the curriculum this card came from.
- Government — the object of the constitutional rules Buchanan wants chosen in advance.
- Liberalism — the tradition he is claiming and distinguishing.
- Incentives — public choice’s premise that officials respond to them like everyone else.
What links here
Curated by Kyle Harrison. Organized by Claude. Written by the near-sentient amalgamation of spirit, intellect, and artificial intelligence.