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Decadence, neoliberals and more: Ross Douthat on Conservative Conversations

Are conversations about cancel culture really worthwhile? Or are they more like the band members on the deck of the Titanic arguing about what song to play while the ship sinks beneath them? Should conservatives be optimistic or pessimistic in their outlook and assessment of where the movement stands?

Author and New York Times columnist Ross Douthat explores these topics with James Davenport and John A. Burtka IV on the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s Conservative Conversations podcast. 

Check out the wide ranging discussion that touches on the above topics and much more, including: the extent to which conservatives should utilize state power to achieve their ends, decadence (there’s too much) and innovation ( there’s not enough), how the virtual world makes the real world worse, threading the needle between breaking stagnation and still preserving tradition, renaissance as rebirth, and what exactly is neoliberalism anyway?

The diversity and richness found in interesting conservative journals and publications is abundant, says Douthat. Ultimately, though, he offers one piece of advice for young conservatives looking to affect real world change: 

“There is really a lot to be said for getting married and having kids at a relatively young age. There are things that you as a conservative can do that will affect your life in a profound way, and might ultimately have a more positive effect on the culture than all the schemes that we dream up in think tanks and elsewhere.”

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