A Q&A with Arthur Brooks
by Natalie Goodnow
A bold new vision for conservatism as a movement for social and economic justice.
AEI President Arthur Brooks has a new book out, “The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier and More Prosperous America.” In it, Brooks offers a fresh vision for conservatism as a movement for social and economic justice — one that fights poverty, promotes equal opportunity, and celebrates earned success. It is an inclusive movement with a positive agenda to help people to lead happier, more hopeful, and more satisfying lives. Here, Brooks answers a few questions on his motivation for writing the book, what we can learn from the War on Poverty, and advice for improving how conservatives communicate:
1.) Why did you write “The Conservative Heart”?
I became a conservative because I care about poverty. Conservative values, like free enterprise and American leadership overseas, are the primary reason why the proportion of desperately poor people in the world has declined by 80% since the 1970s.
But here’s the paradox—even though we have the best solutions, conservatives are the least trusted to fight for poor and vulnerable people right here at home. Our movement, both in style and substance, often neglects the purpose-driven morality that is really written on our hearts. So I wrote this book to provide a blueprint for an aspirational, inclusive, optimistic conservative movement that could reunite the country.
2.) While a professor at Syracuse, you began researching charity. What drew you to that topic in particular?
I made a commitment, when I was in academia, to study the topics that really matter, even if they were difficult to research. One very important topic I found to be greatly understudied yet very important was charity. It’s obvious that charity is a huge part of civil society. Nonprofit organizations take care of the poor, provide education—and even compete in the war of ideas in the case of AEI. Yet there’s a great deal we don’t know about why people give.
3.) Why do you think conservatives tend to use materialistic versus moral language?
Conservatives employ materialistic rhetoric simply because it’s the path of least resistance. Social democratic or statist systems don’t have a strong materialistic case to make, because they consume wealth more than they produce it, focusing on redistribution in a fixed-sum setup. Free enterprise, on the other hand, creates explosive wealth and growth, so that’s what we focus on. But that’s a mistake because the most important products of the free enterprise system are human freedom, dignity, and widespread poverty alleviation. Those are the things to focus on first and foremost.
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Read more: www.aei.org
by Natalie Goodnow
A bold new vision for conservatism as a movement for social and economic justice.
AEI President Arthur Brooks has a new book out, “The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier and More Prosperous America.” In it, Brooks offers a fresh vision for conservatism as a movement for social and economic justice — one that fights poverty, promotes equal opportunity, and celebrates earned success. It is an inclusive movement with a positive agenda to help people to lead happier, more hopeful, and more satisfying lives. Here, Brooks answers a few questions on his motivation for writing the book, what we can learn from the War on Poverty, and advice for improving how conservatives communicate:
1.) Why did you write “The Conservative Heart”?
I became a conservative because I care about poverty. Conservative values, like free enterprise and American leadership overseas, are the primary reason why the proportion of desperately poor people in the world has declined by 80% since the 1970s.
But here’s the paradox—even though we have the best solutions, conservatives are the least trusted to fight for poor and vulnerable people right here at home. Our movement, both in style and substance, often neglects the purpose-driven morality that is really written on our hearts. So I wrote this book to provide a blueprint for an aspirational, inclusive, optimistic conservative movement that could reunite the country.
2.) While a professor at Syracuse, you began researching charity. What drew you to that topic in particular?
I made a commitment, when I was in academia, to study the topics that really matter, even if they were difficult to research. One very important topic I found to be greatly understudied yet very important was charity. It’s obvious that charity is a huge part of civil society. Nonprofit organizations take care of the poor, provide education—and even compete in the war of ideas in the case of AEI. Yet there’s a great deal we don’t know about why people give.
3.) Why do you think conservatives tend to use materialistic versus moral language?
Conservatives employ materialistic rhetoric simply because it’s the path of least resistance. Social democratic or statist systems don’t have a strong materialistic case to make, because they consume wealth more than they produce it, focusing on redistribution in a fixed-sum setup. Free enterprise, on the other hand, creates explosive wealth and growth, so that’s what we focus on. But that’s a mistake because the most important products of the free enterprise system are human freedom, dignity, and widespread poverty alleviation. Those are the things to focus on first and foremost.
....................
Read more: www.aei.org
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