Chesterton on Modern Politics
June 14, 2009
“The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected.”
–G.K. Chesterton
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Great quote!
So where does that leave society and culture?
Clarion Call of the Radical Centrist #327:
If these words mean that we are not to look for our salvation in any sort of politics, then “great quote.”
But the sentiment is pretty negative, in that cheerful sort of way that Chesterton can be negative.
We can turn this notion on its head by asking ourselves what is good about conservatism and progressivism, in the spirit of Pope John XXXIII, who spoke about the Church not condemning the world but promoting what is good in it.
We can find some good, for example, even in the “relativism” which is condemned is such absolute terms by the conservatives. A good “relativism” is called “tolerance” or simply “understanding.”
And I hope we Catholics–who place so much emphasis on the tradition handed down to us–will be generally circumspect about the sorts of changes we might call for in the political realm.
But, in a paradox that would warm Chesterton’s heart, it was Bush the “conservative” who rushed blindly in to new error, and Obama the “progressive” who is dragging his feet in fixing those errors.
“Obama the “progressive” who is dragging his feet in fixing those errors.”
This is one interpretation. Another is that he is “fixing” the errors in the right way, which takes more time but is longer lasting.
Chesterton also said he learned not to trust practical politicians and that tolerance is the virtue of a man with no principles.
Bush and Obama are both “progressives” of slightly different stripe. Bush’s philosophy is closer to that of Wilson or Kennedy than that of any conservative.
A true conservative knows better than to think government can do good.