Conservatives! It’s Time to Reclaim the Arts
Photo by John Bakator on Unsplash
In America, when someone says, “I’m a Conservative,” the hearer most likely assumes the context is political in nature. However, American Conservatism is not merely a political position; Conservatism is a worldview. What are the basic beliefs of this worldview? Federalism, national sovereignty, traditional values on marriage and sex, Judeo-Christian heritage, fiscal responsibility, and small government? These are all hallmarks of conservatism, but I think the most basic belief of the conservative is simply this: There is truth, and we must defend it. This stands in stark contrast the subjective truth which characterizes progressivism.
Conservatism is dying. This is not because the conservative position is outdated or wrong. It is because we conservatives have overemphasized the political. This is due to the politicization of life in general. Take gender for example. A generation ago, this topic was viewed as black and white; males are males and females are females. Now, gender has been made complicated by left-wing politics. As the male-female dichotomy is crucial to the family and to culture, the politicization of the concept makes culture inherently political.
All the important political battles notwithstanding, if conservative values and beliefs are to be a viable alternative to other worldviews (namely, Secular Humanism and Marxism), conservatives must recognize that a worldview is not merely about politics. In fact, even adding morals and basic theology is not enough. The conservative worldview strongly and convincingly articulates the facts and truths behind the political, moral, and theological beliefs of conservatism. But, a true, fully developed worldview must include the Arts. Why? Because as the arts are intimately linked to culture, the arts are a crucial part of what makes humans human.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” as the old saying goes. However, I do not find that quote convincing. God, who is the supreme Truth must have the supreme Eye to behold beauty. Simply put, whatever God finds beautiful is beautiful. Therefore, truth is an integral part of beauty. Conservatives need to step up and reclaim the arts as an expression of God. Poetry, painting, and all the fine arts are longing for a restoration to the search of beautiful truth.
Now, I am not much of an artist. I am a very amateurish storyteller and poet. That is the extent of my artistic ability. However, I think my ignorance of the arts allows me to argue for the importance of arts in a specific way. Being ignorant of art, I still have an intuitive recognition of a good piece of music, of a well-versed phrase, and of a breathtaking cinema shot. Art is different than science. Dorothy Sayers argues in her classic book, The Mind of the Maker, that the difference between art and empirical investigation is the disciplines’ respective endurance. While the genius of Isaac Newton has been replaced by the genius of Albert Einstein, the genius of John Milton is by no means replaced by the genius of J.R.R. Tolkien. Good art, while inherently cultural, is timeless. Good science, however brilliant, is constantly replaced by (ideally) better science. While I (and I think most humans) cannot intuitively recognize matters of modern physics, I (and I think most) can intuitively recognize matters of good, timeless art, even if we cannot fully articulate our appreciation.
Nevertheless, we must work to fine-tune our fine art sensors. If we as conservatives want to reclaim our culture, we must actively engage it and produce culturally significant works. A victory in the political realm does not necessitate a reclaimed culture. If you value life, write a telling dystopian story about the consequences of abortion and euthanasia. If you value marriage and the family, draw or paint a picture of a joyful family. If you value nature and feel a strong sense of stewardship over God’s creation, write a poem about a good God who makes good things for his children. Now, you won’t be Mozart or Shakespeare overnight. You’ll probably never be. However, if we encourage our network of people to embrace and engage the arts, eventually, stunning works will be produced.
Being artistic is only partially a matter of ability. More foundationally, it is a matter of mindset. The artistic mindset is characteristic of one who uses his mind to critically engage the arts whether it be movies, songs, architecture, or novels. The artistic one allows himself to embrace his emotions (under the guidance of reason) and to fully experience the feelings which the arts evoke. Conservatives seek objective truth. We need to seek this truth in the aesthetic realm as well. We need to be humanists, not in the sense of valuing humanity over the divine but in the sense that we deeply appreciate what it means to be human, namely, the arts.
