Conversations on Conservatism

The Philadelphia Society was founded in 1964 and for the past fifty-five years it has served as a venue for conservatives and libertarians to discuss the “foundations of a free and ordered society.” The men and women who participated in the meetings reflected on some of the most important questions of their day. In these panel discussions, they examined and debated countless topics. This volume places an emphasis on presenting the great conservative and libertarian thinkers who participated in the Philadelphia Society meetings from 1965 to 1980. These thinkers asked questions that are still relevant today: What is the role of tradition in society? How important is individual liberty? What is the correct balance between freedom and tradition? Can “ordered liberty” be best achieved by the free enterprise system or should order and common values be promoted by government? What does it mean to be a conservative? Should libertarians and conservatives be allies? The transcriptions in this volume address these questions and more.

This book includes speeches from

• Milton Friedman
• Frank S. Meyer
• Russell Kirk
• George Stigler
• Irving Kristol
• Murray Rothbard
• Norman Podhoretz
• William F. Buckley Jr.
• Rev. Stanley Parry
• Ernest van den Haag
• Kevin P. Phillips
• Henry Paulucci
• Will Herberg
• Howard Phillips
• Richard J. Bisharjian
• Don Devine
• Stephen J. Tonsor
• George H. Nash
• M. Stanton Evans
• Robert Nisbet
• Walter F. Berns
• Arnaud de Borchgrave

The American Institute for Economic Research in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, was founded in 1933 as the first independent voice for sound economics in the United States. Today it publishes ongoing research, hosts educational programs, publishes books, sponsors interns and scholars, and is home to the world-renowned Bastiat Society and the highly respected Sound Money Project. The American Institute for Economic Research is a 501c3 public charity.