Welcome to The Pillars
This is an ongoing intellectual project of Principles First. As part of our effort to champion a more principled approach to American politics, we are endeavoring to collect in one place the core ideas that undergird the American experiment. Each of the thinkers highlighted below contributed some meaningful pillar to American thought. Whether it was the rule of law or the wisdom of free enterprise or the dignity of the individual or basic human rights like freedom of speech, the ideas these thinkers birthed formed the foundation of both American conservatism, properly understood, and of the broader American Founding.
We hope to progress this project beyond the Enlightenment into the Founding Era thinkers who drafted the Constitution and even beyond those thinkers to others who continued to refine our intellectual principles up through the 19th and 20th centuries. We hope you will engage with this material, share your thoughts about the list, and make suggestions about who else should be included.
Signed,
Principles First
We hope to progress this project beyond the Enlightenment into the Founding Era thinkers who drafted the Constitution and even beyond those thinkers to others who continued to refine our intellectual principles up through the 19th and 20th centuries. We hope you will engage with this material, share your thoughts about the list, and make suggestions about who else should be included.
Signed,
Principles First
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Sir Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)Our pillars begin with Sir Edmund Burke, who is widely regarded as the "father of conservatism," which he grounded in humility and respect for the past. He celebrated wisdom of order and tradition, and warned against populist demagogues.
Burke opposed state-centric views of proper governance in favor of gradualism, organic order, and age-tested institutions. The practical fruits of human experience led him to preach the value of habit, instinct, custom, and faith. |
Yuval Levin recently suggested that American conservatism "has lost the more Burkean liberalism that says, 'This kind of society is an achievement of civilization, and its perpetuation requires a conservative disposition, gradual improvement, and an appreciation of our traditions.'"
Burke's conservatism is sometimes regarded as being in tension with the philosophical arguments of Enlightenment thinkers like Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau - all of whom heavily influenced America's founding. Yet, some of his ideas still resonate today.
Burke's conservatism is sometimes regarded as being in tension with the philosophical arguments of Enlightenment thinkers like Locke, Hobbes, and Rousseau - all of whom heavily influenced America's founding. Yet, some of his ideas still resonate today.
John Locke (1632 - 1704)Inspired by the Glorious Revolution in England, John Locke penned his Second Treatise on Civil Government in 1690 to attempt a coherent theory for the legitimacy of government's power over citizens. The logic of his argument later formed the basis of our Declaration of Independence.
His core thesis was truly groundbreaking for its time - a landmark intellectual development that highlighted the tectonic shift in humanity's perspective towards democratic individualism from its complete servility to monarchy just a single century prior. |
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To Locke, natural rights weren't contingent on royalty or wealth. They were assets of every man, from the prince to the peasant. His ideas gave new reason for limiting the power of government. There were some things beyond the authority even the most powerful of earthly kings. The classical liberalism that Locke fathered is often seen as foundational to the American experiment as a whole, and not uniquely conservative. Yet, many conservatives believe they are conserving Locke's vision: individualism, limited government, and the natural rights of man.
After Locke, individual freedom was seen not just as a byproduct of good governance, but as a birthright from God. His ideas remind us of government's limited purpose: to protect these rights, to shield man from harming himself, and to enhance man's freedom.
After Locke, individual freedom was seen not just as a byproduct of good governance, but as a birthright from God. His ideas remind us of government's limited purpose: to protect these rights, to shield man from harming himself, and to enhance man's freedom.
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Adam Smith (1723 - 1790)As the Industrial Revolution transformed Europe over the latter half of the 18th century, a young Scottish philosopher named Adam Smith attempted to explain what he was seeing. In doing so, he revolutionized the discipline of economics.
Smith penned The Wealth of Nations in 1776, the same year that the colonies would declare their independence from Britain. Smith's work developed concepts foundational to free-market capitalism: the division of labor, comparative advantage, free trade, and the invisible hand. |
Smith rejected protective mercantilism: the theory that national wealth was a matter of restricting imports to maximize specie. He believed tariffs served only to line the pockets of the well-connected and protect them from competition. Instead, Smith championed free trade and exchange.
His work also presented a firm theoretical defense of an emergent, organic order built on the individual choices that people in a society make every day - a force he famously dubbed the "invisible hand."
His ideas remind us of the inherent wisdom of markets as tools for social ordering and that free individuals pursuing happiness can serve the collective interest of all. The concept of emergent order continues to explain modern conservatives' faith in markets today.
His work also presented a firm theoretical defense of an emergent, organic order built on the individual choices that people in a society make every day - a force he famously dubbed the "invisible hand."
His ideas remind us of the inherent wisdom of markets as tools for social ordering and that free individuals pursuing happiness can serve the collective interest of all. The concept of emergent order continues to explain modern conservatives' faith in markets today.
Sir William Blackstone (1723 - 1780)As Enlightenment thinkers were articulating a new purpose for government, an English judge named Sir William Blackstone set about to firm up the laws that bound society together.
Blackstone is best known for his Commentaries on the Laws of England, which codified the English common law. This made it easier for society to understand and study law. American law was shaped by Blackstone's ideas, which included impartiality, fixed rules, and absolute rights. |
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One of Blackstone's most well-known contributions was his own statement of the principle that "it is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer." If innocence was made to suffer unjustly, he reasoned, there would be no incentive for virtue.
Blackstone's efforts imbued the rule of law with legitimacy and helped turn it into a practical reality. For the first time, law was an accessible tool with which people could protect property and vindicate their rights - a central pillar of a more productive, just society.
Blackstone's efforts imbued the rule of law with legitimacy and helped turn it into a practical reality. For the first time, law was an accessible tool with which people could protect property and vindicate their rights - a central pillar of a more productive, just society.
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John Stuart Mill (1806 - 1873)With the rise of democracy came fresh concerns about majority rule. Freedom was no less at risk from a newly empowered many than from a hereditary few. Populism threatened free discourse. Amid the tumult, John Stuart Mill staunchly defended the virtues of free speech.
Though he was an opponent of Burkean conservatism, Mill published On Liberty in 1859, rejecting the coercion of public opinion. Mill valued truth and thought a "marketplace of ideas" free of censorship and open to even the worst opinions would bring society closest to truth. |
If everyone was permitted to weigh in and zealously defend their opinions, Mill reasoned, the public would naturally elevate more convincing arguments and discard faulty ones. Yet, this freedom came with a consequent duty of citizenship - the duty to speak up.
Mill believed firmly in civic duty. He thought that "bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing." A free marketplace, even to Mill, wasn't enough to arrive at truth. It took healthy civic engagement.
Even thought Mill was a classical liberal, his ideas continue to influence the anti-majoritarian principles of freedom of discourse and conscience that once animated conservatism. From social media to campuses to church pews, Mill challenges us all to reject censorship and engage.
Mill believed firmly in civic duty. He thought that "bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing." A free marketplace, even to Mill, wasn't enough to arrive at truth. It took healthy civic engagement.
Even thought Mill was a classical liberal, his ideas continue to influence the anti-majoritarian principles of freedom of discourse and conscience that once animated conservatism. From social media to campuses to church pews, Mill challenges us all to reject censorship and engage.
Baron de Montesquieu (1689 - 1755)During the Enlightenment, many thinkers began to consider how democratic government should be designed to avoid the twin evils of monarchy and pure populism. A French judge and scholar named Montesquieu led the way and developed the separation of power.
Montesquieu believed in republican forms of government and opposed monarchy. His seminal work, The Spirit of the Law, explained the theory and benefits of self-government. According to Montesquieu, human nature required that power be separated and not reposed in one person. |
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Montesquieu also conceived of the three branches we have today: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. If any single branch became too powerful or overstepped its boundaries, liberty would be threatened.
Montesquieu teaches that the separation of powers isn't some trivial concept, but a tangible protection of liberty. Today, Congress delegates its power out of cowardice and the executive flouts constraints. As conservatives - and as Americans - we should always remember Montesquieu.
Montesquieu teaches that the separation of powers isn't some trivial concept, but a tangible protection of liberty. Today, Congress delegates its power out of cowardice and the executive flouts constraints. As conservatives - and as Americans - we should always remember Montesquieu.
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Thomas Paine (1737 - 1809)As the American colonies began to grow, declaring independence was not a foregone conclusion. The notion of revolution against the British crown needed theoretical justification. Thomas Paine did much to convince Americans of this course.
Thomas Paine penned Common Sense in 1776 - and it became the most widely read intellectual justification for shirking the bonds of British tyranny. Paine believed that government without consent was slavery and that Americans had a duty to reject the overweening British crown. |
Paine's ideas marked a break from the European conservative tradition of Burke that trusted government as a bulwark against radical change. Into Burke's calculus, Paine inserted a prior, non-negotiable principle: government without consent was no government at all.
The notions that citizens should be skeptical of government power and that tyranny creates a duty to revolt were intellectual hallmarks of Revolutionary America. Many Founding Era thinkers and modern conservatives were heavily influenced by Paine's ideas.
The notions that citizens should be skeptical of government power and that tyranny creates a duty to revolt were intellectual hallmarks of Revolutionary America. Many Founding Era thinkers and modern conservatives were heavily influenced by Paine's ideas.