The Conservative Implications of Skepticism

To many thoughtful writers and men of affairs, this has been pre-eminently an era of great uncertainty and growing cynicism. In skepticism many of them observe the intellectual expression of this mood — the distilled essence of the spirit of the age. On accasion they will speculate on the political consequences of this viewpoint, but more often they are content to leave this question for future events to settle. But skepticism has significant political implications, and through an investigation of the skeptical philosophies of the past, these consequences can be made available for detailed examination. In brief, we intend to show that skepticism will lead to a revival of traditional conservatism with a force comparable to that which led to the spread of intellectual radicalism under the stimulation of the Great Depression.