Overview

For more than four decades, George F. Will has attempted to discern the principles of the Western political tradition and apply them to America's civic life. Today, the stakes could hardly be higher. Vital questions about the nature of man, of rights, of equality, of majority rule are bubbling just beneath the surface of daily events in America. The Founders' vision, articulated first in the Declaration of Independence and carried out in the Constitution, gave the new republic a framework for government unique in world history. Their beliefs in natural rights, limited government, religious freedom, and in human virtue and dignity ushered in two centuries of American prosperity. Now, as Will shows, conservatism is under threat--both from progressives and elements inside the Republican Party. America has become an administrative state, while destructive trends have overtaken family life and higher education. Semi-autonomous executive agencies wield essentially unaccountable power. Congress has failed in its duty to exercise its legislative powers. And the executive branch has slipped the Constitution's leash. In the intellectual battle between the vision of Founding Fathers like James Madison, who advanced the notion of natural rights that pre-exist government, and the progressivism advanced by Woodrow Wilson, the Founders have been losing. It's time to reverse America's political fortunes. Expansive, intellectually thrilling, and written with the erudite wit that has made Will beloved by millions of readers, The Conservative Sensibility is an extraordinary new book from one of America's most celebrated political writers.

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Reviews

Wonderful... [Will's] magnum opus... elegant. --Hugh Hewitt When you read a work as wise, incisive and superbly written as this one, you rightly assume it was produced by a first-rate mind. --The Wall Street Journal The summa of a lifetime's worth of thinking about politics.... Will's good sense, power of reasoning, historical knowledge, and stylistic flair on full display here.... Masterful. --Commentary magazine Sums up a lifetime of thinking about politics and culture. --The New York Times Staggeringly good. Easily one of the best books on American Conservatism ever written. --Jonah Goldberg Excellent... [T]here is a sense of finality in The Conservative Sensibility, as though Will is offering his ultimate statement if not his last word.... Will has produced one of the best books about American conservatism ever to have been written. --Kevin D. Williamson, The Washington Examiner Embodies the ideal of thoughtful, learned conservatism....Deeply erudite....Fascinating. --Fareed Zakaria, The Washington Post Brilliant. -- The Los Angeles Times A wonderful book [that will] be read for a long time. --Dana Perino, Fox News A thoughtful, elegant reflection on American conservatism and the Founders' political thought. --The Atlantic A richly documented history of and argument for a wider embrace of conservative political values. --Kirkus Reviews A remarkable summation of Will's political thought after a half-century in Washington. It's the sort of book that, when read by a young person in high school or college, might change his life. --Matt Continetti, Politico Playbook A monumental achievement. The Conservative Sensibility is not a 'Washington book' about partisan politics--it's much bigger than that. It's a career capstone that will stir your soul with its passionate reminder of what conservatism really means. Buy it, read it, share it. --Senator Ben Sasse, New York Times-bestselling author of Them and The Vanishing American Adult A clarion call for substantive thinking, at a time when Americans are hungry for strong leadership and a renewed debate for the soul of our country. -- Therefore, What? Podcast A blockbuster -- if a book so thoughtful and learned and graceful can be called a 'blockbuster.' --Jay Nordlinger, National Review [Will is] one of the most consequential thinkers in the history of the conservative movement... To say that Will wrote a brilliant book brings new meaning to understatement.... A great read.... Will's discussion of the Constitution positively sizzles... Unputdownable. --John Tammy, Forbes [A] strong affirmation of inalienable individual rights as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.... Will, a Goldwater/Reagan/Buckley Republican, has left the party. But he might argue that the party has left him, and this book can serve as a blueprint for how it might return. --John R. Coyne, Jr., Washington Times [A] magnum opus..... Will still beats all his rivals in his ability to combine high thinking with a shrewd capacity to understand day-to-day American politics.... It is hard to think of any of today's angry young movement conservatives surviving in journalism for fifty years, as Mr. Will has, and still having enough to say to produce a big book at 78. --The Economist [A] magisterial assessment of contemporary life and its foundations. --Richard Vetter, Forbes The Conservative Sensibility is George Will's definitive declaration.... Admirers of Will - I plead guilty - now have what amounts to a definitive statement, a summation of his remarkable career in journalism and politics.... A deep and sustained reflection on American conservatism.... There is nothing worse than a predictable columnist, and Will is anything but predictable. One reads him not only for his prose but also for the chance to observe a great and restless intellect.... Here, then, is George Will's task: to remind Americans of our unique heritage by connecting present debates and public figures to our nation's fundamental ideas, disagreements, problems, and statesmen..... Such is the education that awaits the reader of this beautiful, graceful, profound book. --Matthew Continetti, National Review The Conservative Sensibility ... is an argument about human history, epistemology, culture, religion, politics and constitutionalism, and not another vehicle for soon-dated Trump hagiography or hatred.... Its account of how the presidency has taken over the legislature in the modern era is essential to understanding the extreme danger that a figure like Trump now poses to core constitutional principle. --Andrew Sullivan, New York Times Book Review The conservatively inclined reader, interested in the history of the United States and the politics of the present era, will find in the author's reflections much to enjoy and from which to learn....In order to reverse the direction of events, someone must formulate an alternative to it-which George Will has done in this fine book. --The New Criterion

Wonderful... [Will's] magnum opus... elegant. --Hugh Hewitt When you read a work as wise, incisive and superbly written as this one, you rightly assume it was produced by a first-rate mind. --The Wall Street Journal The summa of a lifetime's worth of thinking about politics.... Will's good sense, power of reasoning, historical knowledge, and stylistic flair on full display here.... Masterful. --Commentary magazine Sums up a lifetime of thinking about politics and culture. --The New York Times Staggeringly good. Easily one of the best books on American Conservatism ever written. --Jonah Goldberg Excellent... [T]here is a sense of finality in The Conservative Sensibility, as though Will is offering his ultimate statement if not his last word.... Will has produced one of the best books about American conservatism ever to have been written. --Kevin D. Williamson, The Washington Examiner Embodies the ideal of thoughtful, learned conservatism....Deeply erudite....Fascinating. --Fareed Zakaria, The Washington Post Brilliant. -- The Los Angeles Times A wonderful book [that will] be read for a long time. --Dana Perino, Fox News A thoughtful, elegant reflection on American conservatism and the Founders' political thought. --The Atlantic A richly documented history of and argument for a wider embrace of conservative political values. --Kirkus Reviews A remarkable summation of Will's political thought after a half-century in Washington. It's the sort of book that, when read by a young person in high school or college, might change his life. --Matt Continetti, Politico Playbook A monumental achievement. The Conservative Sensibility is not a 'Washington book' about partisan politics--it's much bigger than that. It's a career capstone that will stir your soul with its passionate reminder of what conservatism really means. Buy it, read it, share it. --Senator Ben Sasse, New York Times-bestselling author of Them and The Vanishing American Adult A clarion call for substantive thinking, at a time when Americans are hungry for strong leadership and a renewed debate for the soul of our country. -- Therefore, What? Podcast A blockbuster -- if a book so thoughtful and learned and graceful can be called a 'blockbuster.' --Jay Nordlinger, National Review [Will is] one of the most consequential thinkers in the history of the conservative movement... To say that Will wrote a brilliant book brings new meaning to understatement.... A great read.... Will's discussion of the Constitution positively sizzles... Unputdownable. --John Tammy, Forbes [A] strong affirmation of inalienable individual rights as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.... Will, a Goldwater/Reagan/Buckley Republican, has left the party. But he might argue that the party has left him, and this book can serve as a blueprint for how it might return. --John R. Coyne, Jr., Washington Times [A] magnum opus..... Will still beats all his rivals in his ability to combine high thinking with a shrewd capacity to understand day-to-day American politics.... It is hard to think of any of today's angry young movement conservatives surviving in journalism for fifty years, as Mr. Will has, and still having enough to say to produce a big book at 78. --The Economist [A] magisterial assessment of contemporary life and its foundations. --Richard Vetter, Forbes The Conservative Sensibility is George Will's definitive declaration.... Admirers of Will - I plead guilty - now have what amounts to a definitive statement, a summation of his remarkable career in journalism and politics.... A deep and sustained reflection on American conservatism.... There is nothing worse than a predictable columnist, and Will is anything but predictable. One reads him not only for his prose but also for the chance to observe a great and restless intellect.... Here, then, is George Will's task: to remind Americans of our unique heritage by connecting present debates and public figures to our nation's fundamental ideas, disagreements, problems, and statesmen..... Such is the education that awaits the reader of this beautiful, graceful, profound book. --Matthew Continetti, National Review The Conservative Sensibility ... is an argument about human history, epistemology, culture, religion, politics and constitutionalism, and not another vehicle for soon-dated Trump hagiography or hatred.... Its account of how the presidency has taken over the legislature in the modern era is essential to understanding the extreme danger that a figure like Trump now poses to core constitutional principle. --Andrew Sullivan, New York Times Book Review

[A] magisterial assessment of contemporary life and its foundations. --Richard Vetter, Forbes [Will is] one of the most consequential thinkers in the history of the conservative movement... To say that Will wrote a brilliant book brings new meaning to understatement.... A great read.... Will's discussion of the Constitution positively sizzles... Unputdownable. --John Tammy, Forbes The Conservative Sensibility is George Will's definitive declaration.... Admirers of Will - I plead guilty - now have what amounts to a definitive statement, a summation of his remarkable career in journalism and politics.... A deep and sustained reflection on American conservatism.... There is nothing worse than a predictable columnist, and Will is anything but predictable. One reads him not only for his prose but also for the chance to observe a great and restless intellect.... Here, then, is George Will's task: to remind Americans of our unique heritage by connecting present debates and public figures to our nation's fundamental ideas, disagreements, problems, and statesmen..... Such is the education that awaits the reader of this beautiful, graceful, profound book. --Matthew Continetti, National Review [A] magnum opus..... Will still beats all his rivals in his ability to combine high thinking with a shrewd capacity to understand day-to-day American politics.... It is hard to think of any of today's angry young movement conservatives surviving in journalism for fifty years, as Mr. Will has, and still having enough to say to produce a big book at 78. --The Economist The summa of a lifetime's worth of thinking about politics.... Will's good sense, power of reasoning, historical knowledge, and stylistic flair on full display here.... Masterful. --Commentary magazine A clarion call for substantive thinking, at a time when Americans are hungry for strong leadership and a renewed debate for the soul of our country. -- Therefore, What? Podcast A richly documented history of and argument for a wider embrace of conservative political values. --Kirkus Reviews A remarkable summation of Will's political thought after a half-century in Washington. It's the sort of book that, when read by a young person in high school or college, might change his life. --Matt Continetti, Politico Playbook [A] strong affirmation of inalienable individual rights as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.... Will, a Goldwater/Reagan/Buckley Republican, has left the party. But he might argue that the party has left him, and this book can serve as a blueprint for how it might return. --John R. Coyne, Jr., Washington Times Excellent... [T]here is a sense of finality in The Conservative Sensibility, as though Will is offering his ultimate statement if not his last word.... Will has produced one of the best books about American conservatism ever to have been written. --Kevin D. Williamson, The Washington Examiner Brilliant. -- The Los Angeles Times Sums up a lifetime of thinking about politics and culture. --The New York Times A wonderful book [that will] be read for a long time. --Dana Perino, Fox News Wonderful... [Will's] magnum opus... elegant. --Hugh Hewitt The Conservative Sensibility ... is an argument about human history, epistemology, culture, religion, politics and constitutionalism, and not another vehicle for soon-dated Trump hagiography or hatred.... Its account of how the presidency has taken over the legislature in the modern era is essential to understanding the extreme danger that a figure like Trump now poses to core constitutional principle. --Andrew Sullivan, New York Times Book Review Embodies the ideal of thoughtful, learned conservatism....Deeply erudite....Fascinating. --Fareed Zakaria, The Washington Post Staggeringly good. Easily one of the best books on American Conservatism ever written. --Jonah Goldberg A monumental achievement. The Conservative Sensibility is not a 'Washington book' about partisan politics--it's much bigger than that. It's a career capstone that will stir your soul with its passionate reminder of what conservatism really means. Buy it, read it, share it. --Senator Ben Sasse, New York Times-bestselling author of Them and The Vanishing American Adult When you read a work as wise, incisive and superbly written as this one, you rightly assume it was produced by a first-rate mind. --The Wall Street Journal A blockbuster -- if a book so thoughtful and learned and graceful can be called a 'blockbuster.' --Jay Nordlinger, National Review A thoughtful, elegant reflection on American conservatism and the Founders' political thought. --The Atlantic

The Conservative Sensibility ... is an argument about human history, epistemology, culture, religion, politics and constitutionalism, and not another vehicle for soon-dated Trump hagiography or hatred.... Its account of how the presidency has taken over the legislature in the modern era is essential to understanding the extreme danger that a figure like Trump now poses to core constitutional principle.--Andrew Sullivan, New York Times Book Review The Conservative Sensibility is George Will's definitive declaration.... Admirers of Will - I plead guilty - now have what amounts to a definitive statement, a summation of his remarkable career in journalism and politics.... A deep and sustained reflection on American conservatism.... There is nothing worse than a predictable columnist, and Will is anything but predictable. One reads him not only for his prose but also for the chance to observe a great and restless intellect.... Here, then, is George Will's task: to remind Americans of our unique heritage by connecting present debates and public figures to our nation's fundamental ideas, disagreements, problems, and statesmen..... Such is the education that awaits the reader of this beautiful, graceful, profound book.--Matthew Continetti, National Review [A] magisterial assessment of contemporary life and its foundations.--Richard Vetter, Forbes [A] magnum opus..... Will still beats all his rivals in his ability to combine high thinking with a shrewd capacity to understand day-to-day American politics.... It is hard to think of any of today's angry young movement conservatives surviving in journalism for fifty years, as Mr. Will has, and still having enough to say to produce a big book at 78.--The Economist [A] strong affirmation of inalienable individual rights as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.... Will, a Goldwater/Reagan/Buckley Republican, has left the party. But he might argue that the party has left him, and this book can serve as a blueprint for how it might return.--John R. Coyne, Jr., Washington Times [Will is] one of the most consequential thinkers in the history of the conservative movement... To say that Will wrote a brilliant book brings new meaning to understatement.... A great read.... Will's discussion of the Constitution positively sizzles... Unputdownable.--John Tammy, Forbes A blockbuster -- if a book so thoughtful and learned and graceful can be called a 'blockbuster.'--Jay Nordlinger, National Review A clarion call for substantive thinking, at a time when Americans are hungry for strong leadership and a renewed debate for the soul of our country.-- Therefore, What? Podcast A monumental achievement. The Conservative Sensibility is not a 'Washington book' about partisan politics--it's much bigger than that. It's a career capstone that will stir your soul with its passionate reminder of what conservatism really means. Buy it, read it, share it. --Senator Ben Sasse, New York Times-bestselling author of Them and The Vanishing American Adult A remarkable summation of Will's political thought after a half-century in Washington. It's the sort of book that, when read by a young person in high school or college, might change his life.--Matt Continetti, Politico Playbook A richly documented history of and argument for a wider embrace of conservative political values.--Kirkus Reviews A thoughtful, elegant reflection on American conservatism and the Founders' political thought.--The Atlantic A wonderful book [that will] be read for a long time.--Dana Perino, Fox News Brilliant.-- The Los Angeles Times Embodies the ideal of thoughtful, learned conservatism....Deeply erudite....Fascinating.--Fareed Zakaria, The Washington Post Excellent... [T]here is a sense of finality in The Conservative Sensibility, as though Will is offering his ultimate statement if not his last word.... Will has produced one of the best books about American conservatism ever to have been written.--Kevin D. Williamson, The Washington Examiner Staggeringly good. Easily one of the best books on American Conservatism ever written.--Jonah Goldberg Sums up a lifetime of thinking about politics and culture. --The New York Times The conservatively inclined reader, interested in the history of the United States and the politics of the present era, will find in the author's reflections much to enjoy and from which to learn....In order to reverse the direction of events, someone must formulate an alternative to it-which George Will has done in this fine book. --The New Criterion The summa of a lifetime's worth of thinking about politics.... Will's good sense, power of reasoning, historical knowledge, and stylistic flair on full display here.... Masterful.--Commentary magazine When you read a work as wise, incisive and superbly written as this one, you rightly assume it was produced by a first-rate mind.--The Wall Street Journal Wonderful... [Will's] magnum opus... elegant. --Hugh Hewitt

Author Information

George F. Will writes a twice-weekly syndicated column on politics and domestic and foreign affairs for the Washington Post. He began his column with The Post in 1974, and he received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1977. He is also a regular contributor to MSNBC and NBC News. His fourteen previous books include One Man's America, Men at Work, and Statecraft as Soulcraft. Will grew up in Champaign, Ill., attended Trinity College and Oxford University and received a PhD from Princeton.

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