It Takes a Family - Conservatism and the Common Good Description:

It Takes a Family : Conservatism and the Common Good review:
1 stars (Lacking Respect for Others) - In forty brief chapters Santorum speaks about conservatism, marriage and the American family through the lense of his Catholic faith. He describes Americans as "stewards" whose "task is to secure and increase this patrimony [our inheritance] for our children". What is this patrimony? It is social, economic, moral, cultural, and intellectual "capital". Santorum believes that the family "is at the center of all the types of capital". But his is a rigid and exclusive definition of family - there can only be one mother and one father. Nor is it the family found in the Bible since those often included multiple wives and concubines.



It is subtitled, "Conservatism and the common good". The difference between liberals and conservatives is their concept of freedom. Santorum says liberals, or, as he derogatively calls them, "village elders", want "the freedom to be and to do whatever [they] want - freedom to choose, irrespective of the choice, freedom without limits (with the obligatory caveat that you can't hurt anyone else directly)." Opposed to this is the conservative view of freedom. "Properly defined, liberty is freedom coupled with responsibility to something bigger or higher than the self. It is the pursuit of our dreams with an eye toward the common good." The question is who gets to define what is meant by the common good? My guess would be conservatives. Further, "the foundational social unit that instills a devotion to such liberty and that stands against [often sexual] No-Fault Freedom's toxic effects is the traditional family."



"Village elders" view human nature differently than conservatives. Santorum believes "conservatives follow the traditional Judeo-Christian worldview, which includes the concept of original sin .... A view of human beings as fallen creatures given to sinfulness." And later, "the truth is that human beings are not born naturally inclined to do the right thing." Is he still living in the Dark Ages?



Despite including a chapter on "Violence and a coarsened society", Santorum says he and his family (youngest child is thirteen) watched the movie version of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. I have read and re-read this classic tale many times. I could not watch the movies for two reasons: the emphasis on violence and gore and its unfaithfulness to the actual story.



I grew up outside of Philadelphia and graduated from Dickinson College while Santorum grew up near Pittsburgh and graduated from Dickinson School of Law. Apparently we are worlds apart. Santorum says, "virtue consists in the decency, fairness, and respect for others that we're all capable of". Where is the virtue in his treatment of liberals or of those outside of a "traditional" family? I find his book replete with personal opinion and generalization. Not a balanced study of the American family today.
5 stars (Finally, a cohesive conservative philosophy) - This book is the most clear, consistent, and thorough defense of the conservative philosophy that I have ever read. The book is very well organized and thought through, and he clearly explains the different philosophical underpinnings of liberal and conservative thought and their logical conclusions. Each side has vastly different views about freedom, human nature, and the social order which lead to very different positions on almost every issue.



He goes on to devote a section to each sphere of society (social, moral, educational, cultural, and economic) where he explains how a conservative philosophy logically leads to certain positions on issues in those spheres. And everything he says is backed up by statistics and/or personal stories.



This book is not an application of Biblical principles to polticis. It is a secular defense of the conservative philosophy using practical reasons.



Ignore the low ratings for this book given by people who give no critique of the content and just don't like the ideas presented. This book spits in the face of political correctness and so offends a lot of people. Consider this one star review that has nothing to do with the content,'The fact that Santorum could get a mean spirited and medeival book like [this] published is proof that there could be no such thing as Intelligent Design!'



I highly recommend this book to anyone with an open mind. Even those who don't agree with everything he says should at least come away with a better understanding of the differing assumptions liberals and conservatives have, and why conservatives hold some of the positions they do.
1 stars (Not Impressed) - I consider myself a Conservative Republican, and a supporter of Senator Santorum views of the American Family. But, after reading this book, and hearing some of his recent comments about "How the hurricane Katrina Victims who stayed behind should be punished." I think that he has "come off his rocker" so to speak. His ignorance and insensitivity to people of all races and creeds has become appalling, and I will be a strong supporter of Bob Casey Jr. in the fall 2006 election! And I hope I will not be the only Republican, who recognizes his lack of common sense and compassion- Thanks!