From Voice in the Wilderness: The Economics of Mere Conservatism: Part 1

Here is the next installment in RJ Moeller's The Economics of Mere
Conservatism: Part 1. I hope you have been following this great writer
who is approaching the teaching of conservatism from a different angle.
I have posted all his installments here oryou can go to Voice in the
Wilderness and read them all there.



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The Economics of Mere Conservatism: Part 1

RJ Moeller

Voice in the Wilderness

Back in November of last year I began publishing essays here at A Voice in the Wilderness under the “Mere Conservatism” heading. My intentions in formulating and disseminating Mere Conservatism are simple: I want to explain the core tenets of conservatism, as well as the thinking behind them. We’ve learned liberalism from liberals in our schools, universities, and media, but rarely do we have the opportunity to learn what conservatism truly is from actual conservatives.

Here's an example of someone doing just that:





The process of learning what constitutes Mere Conservatism involves analyzing the socio-political world around us through the three intellectual lenses of Theology, History, and Economics. I’ve already written essays on Theology and History, so today we close out the trio of clarification pieces with a treatment of Economics. In Part I here below, I will explain what underlies a Mere Conservative‘s conclusions about economics, and in Part II next week, I will explain in more detail what specific, free market conclusions this Mere Conservative has come to.

Part I - How we think about economics

Part II - What we think about economics

But to start us all off on the right foot and same page, I quote now from Fredric Bastiat’s The Law:


We hold from God the gift which includes all others. This gift is life – physical, intellectual, and moral life. But life cannot maintain itself alone. The Creator of life has entrusted us with the responsibility of preserving, developing, and perfecting it. In order that we may accomplish this, He has provided us with a collection of marvelous faculties. And He has put us in the midst of a variety of natural resources. By the application of our faculties to these natural resources we convert them into products, and use them. This process is necessary in order that life may run its appointed course.


Life, faculties, production – in other words, individuality, liberty, and property – this is man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these three gifts from God precede all human legislation, and are superior to it. Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.

In these two paragraphs, Bastiat masterfully melded his own views on theology, history, and economics into one glorious commentary on the human condition, and our duties as Creator-endowed beings in a fallen world. A significant part of what it means to be human is on display when our “marvelous faculties” combine with “natural resources” to create goods, services, and property. This is the beginning of Economics.

Economics, it has been said, is a way of thinking. Whether you realize it or not, Economics is a part of your worldview and life philosophy. It impacts and influences nearly every part of your daily life. It is so much more than numbers and charts and long-run aggregate demand curves being drawn on a chalkboard as you sleep-walk your way through freshmen year of college. It touches where you work, live, and worship. It impacts your bank account, the prosperity of your nation, and the ability of charities to help the needy. Economics touches everything. Continue reading

http://rjmoeller.com/2010/02/the-economics-of-mere-conservatism-part-i/