John Derbyshire of National Review is a pessimist. What?s more, he believes other conservatives ought to share that pessimism.
He makes his case for the glass-is-half-empty perspective in the book We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism. The crux of Derbyshire?s argument rests on the notion that too many conservatives have bought into happy-talk, smiley-face optimism about government efforts to improve people?s lives:
We pessimists, you see, are not only wiser than the smiley-face crowd; we are better people. This is no mere biological accident. We are better people because we know that most of the improvements that can be made in human affairs must be made by us ourselves ? by individuals and small voluntary associations. Efforts at improvement by organizations much larger than that will come to naught, or even make things worse, if not based on a clear understanding of human ignorance and weakness.
That?s the core of a proper conservative pessimism: the recognition that there is little hope for improvement in this world; that such small hope as there is should be directed toward the actions of one, or a few; and that most of what governments do is wicked, when not merely pointless and counterproductive.
I suspect most readers will find at least some points of disagreement with Derbyshire’s analysis. For instance, the author has little use for religion and bases his conservative pessimism on scientific evidence rather than faith.
Still, fans of limited government and personal responsibility will find much to like in Derbyshire?s book.
