The Politics of Prudence

30th Anniversary Edition with a new introduction by Michael Federici.

Conservatives are guided by prudence. So taught Russell Kirk (1918-1994), one of the founding fathers of American conservatism. If the tradition of prudential politics has fallen on hard times, its comeback might well begin in the pages of this wise book. An understanding of prudence as practical wisdom, the capacity of choosing the right means to attain worthy ends, is much needed in our time. It is the virtue most associated with the statesman.

Distinguishing political prudence from ideology, Kirk examines ten principles, events, books, and thinkers that have shaped the conservative mind and heart. The final chapter examines the shortcomings of democracy throughout the world and the need for representative government conducted by temperate and thoughtful men and women. In an eloquent epilogue, Kirk calls the rising generation to the defense of order--both the moral order and the social order, the order of the soul and the order of society--against the enemies of justice, freedom, and a high culture.

Reflecting decades of learning and practical experience, this lucid book is Kirk’s bequest to the young men and women of today, an instruction manual for redeeming the time.

Russell Kirk (1918-1994), historian of ideas, critic, essayist, editor and novelist, was the author of thirty-two books. Among them are The Conservative Mind, The Roots of American Order, America’s British Culture, The Politics of Prudence, Eliot and His Age, Enemies of the Permanent Things, Edmund Burke, Redeeming the Time, John Randolph of Roanoke, and six works of fiction. His memoirs, The Sword of Imagination, were published posthumously. He received twelve honorary doctorates from American universities and many awards, including the Presidential Citizens Medal. The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal, founded in 1995 and based in Mecosta, Michigan, continues his work to defend ＂the permanent things＂ today.

Michael P. Federici is professor of political science and international relations at Middle Tennessee State University. He previously served on the faculty at Mercyhurst University. He received his Ph.D. in Politics from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and his B.S. in Economics from Elizabethtown College. Federici has written or edited several books, including The Challenge of Populism, Eric Voegelin: The Restoration of Order, The Political Philosophy of Alexander Hamilton, Rethinking the Teaching of American History, and The Culture of Immodesty in American Life and Politics.