The Conscience of a Conservative

I don’t like discussing politics. Much too often it seems to be an exercise in futility; almost everyone is convinced they’re right, and virtually nothing can convince them otherwise. As a consequence, political debates are hardly debates at all—just pompous mudslinging. The truth of the matter is......more

This was an interesting book, a throwback to the earliest stirrings of movement conservatism. I am a liberal who has become increasingly curious about why modern conservatism has become much less of an ideology and far more of a religion. This book does the job. Senator Goldwater's prose is excellent......more

7 July 2019 - I remember reading this book my freshman year in college and liking it very much. It impressed me that Sen. Goldwater understood that the Federal Government was not Santa Claus and that whatever it provided some people was at the expense of those who paid the price in taxes. Some years......more

I rated this book as amazing not because of its content, but its ability to make me see how conservative thought makes sense to its practitioners. I've always had that, "how can they see it that way? They must be insane," kind of rationale, and this book succinctly sums up an alternative worldview,......more

I first read this book when it was published in 1960. At that time Goldwater was considered the far-right wing of the republican party. I found it fascinating to reread this considering all the changes that have occurred since 1960. Goldwater is now considered too liberal for the conservative party.......more