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PHILOSOPHY

Gyula Benczúr, Saint Stephen Offering the Hungarian Crown to the Virgin Mary (1901). Altarpiece of the Saint Stephen Basilica, Budapest, Hungary
  • CULTURE & SOCIETY, PHILOSOPHY

Twelve Pillars of Conservative Policymaking

‘Despite the different—and certainly debatable—approaches and priorities in specific policy areas, the fundamental objectives of conservative parties largely align. Public discourse and media representation in the West sometimes portray the self-determined policymaking of conservative governments in a polarized manner, focusing…
  • Bence Bauer
  • ‎ —‎ 28.01.2025
"The Word Was Made Flesh" on the front of the Incarnation St James Catholic School in Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
  • PHILOSOPHY

‘Is there a measure on earth?’

‘It is the metaphysical distinction between act and potency that brings depth to being, since it reveals to us that being is not just a fact that is or is not in a shallow binary fashion, but is something that…
  • Ivo Kerže
  • ‎ —‎ 26.01.2025
David - The Death of Socrates
  • OPINION, PHILOSOPHY

The Blind Eye Principle: When the Law Tolerates the Illegal — And the Places That Law Can’t Reach

‘As the assisted dying question turns once again into a contestation of intolerable pains and grotesque moral outrages, we should take a moment to think of a bigger picture. To recall that it is a man-made instrument. It is not…
  • Gavin Haynes
  • ‎ —‎ 21.01.2025
Abies fraseri Christmas tree plantation, USA
  • OPINION, PHILOSOPHY

Artificial or Natural? A Conservative Christmas Conundrum

‘As Christmas approaches, even the most steadfast conservative is faced with a profound seasonal dilemma: should one opt for an artificial tree or remain loyal to the natural variety? The question is more than a practical matter—it is imbued with…
  • Botond Szabó
  • ‎ —‎ 21.12.2024
Twelve Apostles at Port Campbell National Park, Princetown, Victoria, Australia (2019)
  • OPINION, PHILOSOPHY

The Dilemma of Christian Democracy

‘With the Second Vatican Council a new kind of theology—the so called nouvelle théologie —stepped inside the Church and started to play a decisive role in it. Its main authors like Marie-Dominique Chenu and Henri De Lubac emphasized that the…
  • Ivo Kerže
  • ‎ —‎ 19.12.2024
in God we trust
  • OPINION, PHILOSOPHY

Combining God and State: Ten Principles to Enable Nations to Prosper

‘A simple example of restraining evil, which works quite well, are the referees who manage athletic contests. They simply enforce the rules so that order is maintained. They do not help either team win, they do not help the injured,…
  • Carter LeCraw
  • ‎ —‎ 15.12.2024
Mattheus Terwesten, Allegory of Freedom (1701). Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  • PHILOSOPHY

Triumph, Decline — and Renewal?

‘Freedom, understood concretely, is a civilizational, not a natural, construct. This essentially conservative argument could provide the very basis for the continuation of a certain political tradition without which we, modern souls, would live in a much more cruel and…
  • Ábris Béndek
  • ‎ —‎ 14.12.2024
Claude Monet, The Pont de l'Europe, Gare Saint-Lazare (1877). Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, France
  • CULTURE & SOCIETY, PHILOSOPHY

Elites and How They Should Be Educated

‘Ortega’s image of what members of his ideal elite should be like derives from his wider philosophy. His spells at German universities made him initially a fervent neo-Kantian who, seeing the world through the lens of transcendental idealism, believed in…
  • Nicholas Tate
  • ‎ —‎ 30.11.2024
Jan Saenredam, Plato's Allegory of the Cave (1604). The British Museum, London, England
  • PHILOSOPHY

The Third Budapest School

‘The Third Budapest School strives to debate the one-sided, analytical, progressive, nihilistic aspirations that dominate American intellectual life, and to cultivate initiatives based on classical European philosophy. It does this by stimulating the formulation of important questions: in contrast to…
  • András Lánczi
  • ‎ —‎ 23.11.2024
Workshop of Jan Brueghel the Younger, Paradise with the Creation of Animals (before 1678). Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Germany
  • PHILOSOPHY

Worlds of Law: A Foray into Aquinas

‘There is one sense in which Aquinas certainly did not believe in worlds. This is the sense in which certain Greek philosophers held that there is an infinity of worlds…Aquinas asserts what he calls the “unity of the world”. He…
  • David Lloyd Dusenbury
  • ‎ —‎ 18.11.2024
Portrait of Karl Polanyi taken on 31 December 1917 (photographer unknown)
  • CULTURE & SOCIETY, PHILOSOPHY

A Conservative View on Laissez faire Economics

Policies such as pro-family tax cuts, housing programmes, child benefits etc., all resulting in a kind of family income system that aims to reduce the harm inflicted on families by a Ricardian conception of the economy (which, obviously, cannot be…
  • Ivo Kerže
  • ‎ —‎ 16.11.2024
Prince Árpád holding a drinking horn (detail, Chronicon Pictum, cca 1360)
  • CULTURE & SOCIETY, PHILOSOPHY

The Spiritual History of the Hungarian Nation — Part IV

‘On our part, we doubt that “history of ideas” as a methodologically coherent discipline existed in Hungary between the two world wars…Nevertheless, their work is undoubtedly a prime example of an attempt at the creation of a conservative-oriented social science….
  • Zoltán Pető
  • ‎ —‎ 14.11.2024
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PHILOSOPHY

Nanos Gigantum Humeris Insidentes
PHILOSOPHY

Nanos Gigantum Humeris Insidentes

Nanos gigantum humeris insidentes, or dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants, is a phrase first used by the twelfth-century French philosopher Bernard de Chartres. It has been chosen as the motto of the Barna Horváth Hungary Law and Liberty Circle, calling for a balance between healthy ambition and intellectual humility and respect for previous generations.

Lénárd Sándor
26.01.2024
In a World of False Idols Scruton’s Fiction Holds the Truth
PHILOSOPHY

In a World of False Idols Scruton’s Fiction Holds the Truth

While the supposed freedom of a materialistic culture will tend to undermine any sense of the sacred, we can be aware of the false idols and choose to tend to our souls. Scruton, indeed, left us a final work on this very topic.

Lana Starkey
20.01.2024
Can a War Ever Be Justified?
PHILOSOPHY

Can a War Ever Be Justified?

The inherent dilemma regarding the rules of engagement in a just war is that they tend to become either vague or restrictive when military operations fail to achieve victory or a ceasefire leading to peace.

Fr. Mario Alexis Portella
14.01.2024
László Ottlik and the Traditions of Hungarian Political Thought
PHILOSOPHY

László Ottlik and the Traditions of Hungarian Political Thought

Political philosophy that is clearly separated from legal philosophy could not really take root in Hungary either in the Renaissance or in the 18th–19th centuries. Outstanding experiments such as certain writings of Count István Széchenyi or Aurél Dessewffy, the ‘Ruling ideas’ of Baron Eötvös or some excellent political essays by Zsigmond Kemény remained isolated experiments. Ottlik is one of the first Hungarian practitioners of political philosophical thought who can be integrated into the Western traditions of political thinking.

Zoltán Pető
17.12.2023
The Outline of Sanity: Thoughts on Chesterton’s Radical Critique of Capitalism
PHILOSOPHY

The Outline of Sanity: Thoughts on Chesterton’s Radical Critique of Capitalism

The most characteristic phenomenon of modern industrial capitalism in Chesterton’s assessment is the development and creation of the so-called ‘trusts,’ economic monopolies that deliberately strangle small businesses, while not infrequently operating as a criminal consortium, intertwined with political and state power.

Zoltán Pető
16.12.2023
God and the Philosopher: The Theology of Thomas Molnar
PHILOSOPHY

God and the Philosopher: The Theology of Thomas Molnar

‘The duality of God and man is the most fundamental reality of existence: a reality which can structure and constitute all relations of human beings. This principal duality is the source of everything: epistemology, ontology, moral philosophy, politics, and—of course, as Martin Buber said before—the “Ich und Du” relationship is the source of the true philosophy of religion and theology. This point of view is close to the most fundamental personalities of modern Catholic thought, and the philosophy of neo-Thomists such as Jaques Maritain and Étienne Gilson. According to Molnar, this “I and Thou” is the message which the true Christian philosopher has to protect against modernity’s aggressive immanentism, which could be materialist or spiritualist, too. The essence of this immanentism is the dissolution of transcendence into man’s imaginary “divinity”—to reach the deification of the world.’

Zoltán Pető
11.12.2023
Rocket Science and Christianity – The Philosophy of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
PHILOSOPHY

Rocket Science and Christianity – The Philosophy of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

‘What is less known is that Tsiolkovsky essentially wrote his groundbreaking contributions to rocket theory as supplementary notes to his philosophy of space exploration, which was the primary focus of his attention and consumed most of his efforts. What is even less acknowledged is that the philosophical foundations of his framework had an inalienable influence of Christianity that played an important role in shaping his perspective, a fact which Tsiolkovsky himself recognized.’

Georgii Karpenko
09.12.2023
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and his Grand Project to Reconcile Science and Religion
PHILOSOPHY

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and his Grand Project to Reconcile Science and Religion

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin is without a doubt one of the most prominent theologians of the 20th century, whose intellectual contributions to both science and religion gained recognition and respect from both the clergy and the scientific community. His oeuvre demonstrates that faith and scientific inquiry are in fact not at odds with each other.

Georgii Karpenko
12.11.2023
Saint Augustine’s Critique of Religion Without Morality
PHILOSOPHY

Saint Augustine’s Critique of Religion Without Morality

One of the recurring topics of Agustine of Hippo’s City of God, a foundational work of Western philosophy, is his critique of Roman religion as having no moral teachings to offer.

Lili Zemplényi
05.11.2023
The Three Phases of Materialism
PHILOSOPHY

The Three Phases of Materialism

‘When Marx explained the philosophical foundations of dialectical materialism, he first of all referred to the “development of the natural sciences”, just as the representatives of today’s New Atheist movements like to claim that “science has surpassed God” when explaining their theories.’

Zoltán Pető
30.10.2023
The Problem with Contemporary Liberalism
PHILOSOPHY

The Problem with Contemporary Liberalism

‘The term “liberal” was undoubtedly originally associated with the aristocratic spirit of freedom and generosity (in Latin: liberalitas), which, recognizing a natural hierarchy among individual beings, finds diversity welcome and does not desire to make things equal in all circumstances. Since many of the theoreticians of liberalism did not take this principle into account, it can be derived that most liberals strongly oppose the principle of authority.’

Zoltán Pető
29.10.2023
Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens from a Conservative Viewpoint  
PHILOSOPHY

Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens from a Conservative Viewpoint  

‘Transhumanism—at least in the form in which it is represented and explained by Harari—stands, above all, on the ground of anti-religion. The mechanical man, who becomes immortal, as the meaning and purpose of history, is above all the opposite of the eschatological perspectives of all religions.’

Zoltán Pető
07.10.2023
Béla Hamvas and the Critique of ‘Science–Religion’ 
PHILOSOPHY

Béla Hamvas and the Critique of ‘Science–Religion’ 

Hamvas’ focus on metaphysical questions in the field of philosophy did not simply stem from his belief in God or his religious predisposition, but rather from this critical attitude towards modern natural science, from a ‘scepticism against scepticism.’

Zoltán Pető
02.10.2023
Conflict and Moderation
PHILOSOPHY

Conflict and Moderation

It takes courage to see which situations and expectations the conservative should reject. And it takes courage to say ‘no’. The dilemma of when courage is appropriate and when moderation is needed is not logically insolvable. In the words of Winston Churchill: ‘It is better to be both right and consistent. But if you have to choose—you must choose to be right.’

Attila Károly Molnár
01.10.2023
Some Thoughts on the Critique of ‘Mass Politics’ by Michael Oakeshott
PHILOSOPHY

Some Thoughts on the Critique of ‘Mass Politics’ by Michael Oakeshott

Oakshott’s individualism differed from the individualism of liberalism, which rejects traditions. Oakeshott assumed that individuality can only be created in some context, and that freedom can only be enjoyed in order. It is not the acceptance of authority, but the absolutization of reason that destroys individuality, as he explained in his preface to Hobbes’s Leviathan.

Zoltán Pető
13.09.2023
The Impossibility of Utopia — Attila Károly Molnár: Idealists and Realists
PHILOSOPHY

The Impossibility of Utopia — Attila Károly Molnár: Idealists and Realists

‘If a society is exhausted in immanence, if people are not aware of the finitude of their own life, knowledge, and power, and if every goal of the person, the state, and politics is directed towards material interests, then the state will be exactly that Civitas Terrena, which is also Civitas Diaboli. Everything is justified by the stronger interest (Hobbes), pragmatism and secular science serve the immanent power goals of the great Leviathan, while real wisdom, taste, and arts, that make life pleasant (or just bearable) start to decline, wither, dissolve into a gigantically increased bureaucracy called the state.’

Zoltán Pető
10.09.2023
How Conservatism Can Make Democracy Work Again
PHILOSOPHY

How Conservatism Can Make Democracy Work Again

Hyper-democracy is already here, it will grow stronger, and we are only starting to understand its profound effects. Some of them will be detrimental, others will open up new opportunities. This might appear overwhelming and unprecedented to some, but in truth, that was the case with all great technological or political upheavals…

Ofir Haivry
09.09.2023
‘Keeping the Ship Afloat’: Attila Károly Molnár’s Who Would Conserve What?
PHILOSOPHY

‘Keeping the Ship Afloat’: Attila Károly Molnár’s Who Would Conserve What?

The lack of humility, modesty, the lack of deference to one’s superiors, the lack of discipline and respect are the main causes of most of the political and sociological problems of modernity. After all, according to the blind believers of progress, sailing never ends. However, according to conservatives, there is no such thing as an island of Utopia. Their problem in politics is not the search for an island that doesn’t exist, but: ‘[h]ow to get the disgruntled crew to help keep the ship of the state afloat, to keep it from capsizing and being shipwrecked?’

Zoltán Pető
08.09.2023
Utopia and the Critique of Liberal Hegemony in Thomas Molnar’s Work
PHILOSOPHY

Utopia and the Critique of Liberal Hegemony in Thomas Molnar’s Work

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the work is that its author is brave enough to challenge completely the established thinking and vision that takes historical progress and the associated rise of liberalism for granted.

Zoltán Pető
26.08.2023
Edmund Burke on Democracy: Reflections on the ‘Best of All Possible Worlds’ — Part II
PHILOSOPHY

Edmund Burke on Democracy: Reflections on the ‘Best of All Possible Worlds’ — Part II

The first part of this article concerned itself with Burke’s general notions related to democracy. This part explores how he addressed the topic in his pamphlet on the French Revolution.

Péter Sasvári
13.08.2023
Edmund Burke on Democracy: Reflections on the ‘Best of All Possible Worlds’ — Part I
PHILOSOPHY

Edmund Burke on Democracy: Reflections on the ‘Best of All Possible Worlds’ — Part I

Edmund Burke is widely revered in conservative circles. However, due to the taboos of modern politics, his views on democracy are seldom debated.

Péter Sasvári
04.08.2023
Playing God: The Disturbing Factor of In Vitro Fertilisation
PHILOSOPHY

Playing God: The Disturbing Factor of In Vitro Fertilisation

‘With in vitro fertilisation, conception takes place outside the mother’s body, rendering the natural conjugal act between husband and wife in itself as alien to the institution of the family. Man and woman no longer come together as one, but are rather utilised in the creation of human embryos…This not only harms that unitive act of marriage between husband and wife, but it reduces the child to a mere group of cells.’

Fr. Mario Alexis Portella
10.07.2023
Margit Slachta, a Christian Feminist Nun and the First Woman in the Hungarian Parliament
PHILOSOPHY

Margit Slachta, a Christian Feminist Nun and the First Woman in the Hungarian Parliament

In contemporary Catholic social teaching, like Slachta’s reasoning, women are essentially other than men, and this otherness is articulated in the papal encyclicals in relation to women’s role in the family. In contrast, the Catholic nun’s view of the female otherness goes beyond this approach. Although she also emphasises the dignity of the female gender, for her, feminine otherness is the underlying motif of her thinking.

Nóra Lengyel/András Jancsó
07.07.2023
‘The Politics of Beauty’ in Modern Times — Is There Any Connection?
PHILOSOPHY

‘The Politics of Beauty’ in Modern Times — Is There Any Connection?

‘The disappearance of the aesthetical representation of power from politics parallels the egalitarian rhetoric of the rationalists. The representatives of power often emphasise today the ‘non-existence of differences’ with their own clothing and behaviour, although anyone who is not completely naïve knows in their heart—or at least from Aristotle—that the real differences can never be eradicated between the governor and the governed.’

Zoltán Pető
27.06.2023
The Continuous Progress toward God — Ottokár Prohászka and Hungarian Christian Socialism
PHILOSOPHY

The Continuous Progress toward God — Ottokár Prohászka and Hungarian Christian Socialism

Standing on the ground of inexorable social progress, Prohászka views social transformation positively, and even despite his harsh criticism of socialism, he acknowledges its necessity. After all, social democracy serves to achieve social progress that ‘excludes the phraseology of delusive emotions and disturbing social passions,’[vi] which is otherwise so problematic in revolutionary change.

Hanna Zoé Dósa
21.06.2023
Neo-Thomism at its Best — The Christian Social Philosophy of Pál Kecskés
PHILOSOPHY

Neo-Thomism at its Best — The Christian Social Philosophy of Pál Kecskés

As Kecskés frequently highlights, the source and the end for human beings is God. This is the basis on which every Christian social theory should rest.

Ádám Darabos
12.06.2023
The Idea of Kingship and the Holy Crown of Hungary
PHILOSOPHY

The Idea of Kingship and the Holy Crown of Hungary

According to the most fundamental concept of the Holy Crown doctrine, everyone who has political rights in the territory of the country is a member of the crown, a part of its ‘body’.

Zoltán Pető
29.05.2023
Michael Polanyi’s Fundamental Criticism of Central Planning
PHILOSOPHY

Michael Polanyi’s Fundamental Criticism of Central Planning

Given the resurgence of the concept of central planning, it is vital to recall that even 20th century scholars recognised the profound flaws inherent in such a techno-optimistic approach. One of the intellectuals opposing this mindset was Michael Polanyi, a Hungarian British polymath, whose ingenuity brought about important discoveries in physical chemistry, philosophy and economics.

Lili Zemplényi
14.05.2023
László Németh: A Conservative Utopian?
PHILOSOPHY

László Németh: A Conservative Utopian?

Although we clearly cannot consider László Németh a conservative thinker in the ‘classical’ sense, we can still regard him as an interesting writer. He is worthy of our attention especially with regard to his critique of technocracy. In fact, he expressed valuable insights regarding the dominance of technical rationality, but also in many areas of culture, therefore his works can serve as valuable food for thought for conservatives who are willing to expand their horizons in new directions.

Zoltán Pető
13.05.2023
Conservative Thoughts in the Work of Stanisław Lem
PHILOSOPHY

Conservative Thoughts in the Work of Stanisław Lem

Human inventions such as contraception that ‘simplified the process’ of accessing sexual pleasures, had the ultimate side effect of devaluing romantic love, as what used to make it precious was the difficulty of overcoming the cultural and societal barriers of attaining the subject of one’s admiration, Stanislaw Lem argued.

Lili Zemplényi
13.05.2023
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