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Private Solutions: The Best Hope for Cultural Renewal
R&L: In your book Transforming America from the Inside Out , you diagnose America’s social condition as “Cultural AIDS”. That has become a controversial metaphor. What do you mean by “Cultural AIDS” and why is it more accurate than the common phrase “culture wars”?Faith Essential Ingredient of Democratic Capitalism
R&L: You opened your essay in Reinventing the American People, a recent book from the Ethics and Public Policy Center, by noting that a long line of political theorists, dating back to the days of the Romans, would regard you as “a dangerous man, a threat to the public order” because you are “an orthodox Christian.” What is the appropriate way for Christians to be political?Civilization Held Together by Persuasion, Not Force
R&L: You have written, “The triumph of persuasion over force is the sign of a civilized society.” Could you explain what you mean by this?There is a Crucial Link Between Culture and Economics
R&L: Do you agree with Josef Schumpeter’s thesis that capitalism is ultimately destructive of both itself and the culture within which it operates?The Free Market and Public Morality
R&L: What was it that caused you to have second thoughts about the role of the state in economic life and about the left-wing agenda of the 60’s of which you were so much a part?Freedom From Welfare Dependency
R&L: What are the differences between the genders as articulated in your book Men and Marriage and what impact does this have on the social order?Capitalism, Religion, and the Free Society
R&L: I understand that your political views have evolved as a result of your study of history.Corporate Philanthropy
R&L: Capital Research Center recently published a study of patterns of corporate philanthropy in the United States. Could you give us a brief summary of that study?Toward Humane Governance
R&L: Let’s begin with a discussion of the distinction between totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, especially in light of the former becoming enfeebled. What should our stance be regarding the remaining authoritarian regimes?Morality and American Society
R&L: What role did religion or faith play in the founding of National Review in the 1950s?Faith and the Limitations of the State
R&L: You played a role in the international political scene at what may be known as history’s most critical hour. Are you aware of a spiritual dimension to what you participated in?Science and the Environment
R&L: With the world-wide decline of socialism, many individuals think that the environmental movement may be the next great threat to freedom. Do you agree?