Very thought-provoking book. I don't profess to be nearly as intelligent as Mr. Will, but having read the Federalist Papers and John Adams' biography, I wonder if the Founders were more concerned with limiting the power of the executive than the legislative (although, as Mr. Will points out it has been the legislature that has enable the expanded executive branch/administrative state). ( )

Natural rights are owned by the people, and not bestowed by the government
I had expected a world wide and ancient historical focus, I was surprised to find the book concentrated on the United States and the intents of the founders. I think George Will rambled a bit, but he is a good writer. The argument runs from "The founders epistemological assertion" that natural rights derive from humans, not bestowed by government. Progressivism asserts that rights can be assigned by government, leading to "the presidency triumphant, the administrative state rampant, and congress dormant." Will discusses the history of the judiciary and its role, and the challenges brought by increasing wealth. There is a detour to the aims of education, with expected swipes at leftist professors and "woke" students, and a survey of conservatism without theism (Will says he is an atheist, as was his father). I started marking some passages late in the book, because up to then I had not had time to do sustained reading. I should read this again sometime, when I can take in the argument in a few days, rather than over weeks.

P 396: "If, as the new historians insist, social "structures" and impersonal "forces" make both individuals and history, then individuality and freedom are discounted"
P 419: The sociologist Robert Nisbet understood this: "Among the forces that have shaped human nature, boredom is one of the most insistent and universal"
P 452: [from William Butler Yeats "The Second Coming"] "The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity"
P 461: [the origin of the universe in a big bang] ... and ask, "is that all there is?"; when they decide that the universe is merely the result of a cosmic sneeze with no transcendent meaning ...
P 466: If this agent merely set the universe in motion like a clockmaker, the agent is, as an 18th century aphorist described him, the "God who winds our sundials"
P 536: After the founders passed from the scene, in Nathanial Hawthorne's day, the voices of various "realists" gravely warned that because society's problems were more daunting than ever, old principles must yield to new realities. Hawthorne, however, kept his head. It was time, he said, to consult "those respectable old blockheads who still...kept a death-grip on one or two ideas which had not come into vogue since yesterday morning" ( )

Erudite, eloquent, prolix ( )

I’ve always enjoyed reading George Will’s columns not only because he’s from Champaign, Il, my hometown, but also for his insight. This isn’t light reading. You’ll need to go back from time to time to get a full understanding of the information he’s giving. This is his criticism of our present bloated government and his opinion that we should return to the ideals of our founding fathers. Really enjoying my signed copy of this book. A birthday gift from my wife. ( )

George Will is an understated, underappreciated inspiration to all the young rational optimists out there, but I fear his message is getting lost in the noise of short-term discourse. Too often what passes for criticism of the kinds of points of view like what Will espouses is merely an ad hominem disregard of classical conservative thinking. That's putting it much too kindly. Smart political discussion is being buried by angry extremist factions. Maybe what's needed is for Will's oratory and intellectual spirit to find a home in the minds of younger, more charismatic reformers. Will simply comes across as too old school, too bow-tie-Princeton to connect broadly with the younger generation. Note: I may have spoken too soon with that last sentence because as I write this, in July 2020, George Will has recently been a prominent voice of reason on the political right for publicly critiquing the Trump administration and arguing for the GOP as a whole to vote in new members and reset itself.

The Conservative Sensibility isn't a quick read. It's biblical in length, but also in how one reads it—a little bit at a time and pausing often to reflect on what is being said. Building a government from a Declaration and a Constitution is a frustrating endeavor, one which necessitates a long view.

Chapter 7. This part contains the best, most intellectually honest argument for pessimism I've ever read. And then later on in Chapter 10 a recap, "This book is, among other things, a summons to pessimism." As an optimist, this is saying a lot. ( )