Kirk Debates Schlesinger on Conservatism vs. Liberalism

Conservative and liberal philosophies clashed here last night when Russell A. Kirk, noted conservative author, and Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. '38, professor of History, participated in a debate on "Conservative Action."

The great political danger of the present time, Kirk said in opening the debate, is the growth of totalitarian societies. He attacked the liberal drift toward "repressive collectivism" and the "evil benefits of the welfare state" on the grounds that, although immediately beneficial, they tended to change society for the worse in the long run.

Schlesinger was forced to agree that centralization of power could lead to evils, but he argued that a certain minimum of centralization was necessary. "Government in the 20th century must maintain a certain military strength and must control certain aspects of spending to prevent an economic breakdown," he said. "These are minimal requirements which we must balance against the tendency toward totalitarianism."

No Creeping Totalitarians

"But," he added, "Dr. Kirk is wrong when he suggests that we can inch our way into a totalitarian government. History provides no warrant for this belief. It has been the weak, rather than the strong, governments which have attracted totalitarianism."

Growing centralization of power, Kirk argued, has led to an even greater danger by threatening not only our political, but also our cultural and economic diversity. "We are in danger of being dominated by conformity and a soulless technology," he said. "The conservatives, though not sufficiently, have done more than the liberals to meet this problem."

Schlesinger pointed out that business interests, which tend to be conservative for the most part, are a main influence toward conformity. A member of the audience, however, brought up the question of trade union conformity, and a stalemate was reached.

Changing Conservatives

"The trouble with conservatives," Schlesinger said, "is that they think change is bad. The world is constantly changing," he added, "and we must change with it." Kirk maintained, however, that thinking conservatives merely sought to link change with the traditions of the past. "Any healthy society needs conflicting currents of progress and permanence," he said, "but the present society, however, has an especially great need for stability."