Here in a world drowning in digital outrage and fleeting fads, Judd Dunning's call for a "philosophical warrior-scholar" isn't just a catchy phrase, it's a battle cry for conservatives to reclaim their roots as defenders of enduring truths. Conservatism, he argues, isn't about pining for some sepia-toned yesteryear or gatekeeping the status quo. It's a disciplined, muscular philosophy that weds reason to gratitude, liberty to order, and faith to civic grit. It demands leaders who can wield ideas like swords and govern with the humility of stewards, not the swagger of tyrants. I will outline Dunning's vision, sharpen its edges, and ask: What does it really mean to be a warrior-scholar in today's fractured age?
Conservatism: Not Nostalgia, but a Living LegacyDunning kicks off with a gut punch to the caricature of conservatism as backward-glancing sentimentality. It's not about clutching pearls or fetishizing the past; it's about safeguarding "permanent things," as Russell Kirk put it those bedrock norms of human existence that keep chaos at bay. Think family, faith, law, and the hard-won wisdom of ancestors. These aren't museum relics; they're the scaffolding of civilisation, stress-tested across centuries.
Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic emperor, gets the first nod: "You have power over your mind — not outside events." This is the warrior-scholar's starting line. Self-mastery precedes statecraft. Aristotle doubles down: "Excellence is a habit." Virtue isn't a one-off performance; it's a muscle you build through repetition. The conservative warrior-scholar trains in this gym daily, knowing that a society of disciplined individuals is the only kind that can govern itself without devolving into mob rule or nanny-state tyranny.
Edmund Burke, the godfather of modern conservatism, looms large here. His "contract" across generations, between the living, the dead, and the unborn, reminds us that liberty untethered from lineage becomes a free-for-all. James Madison, ever the realist, knew humans aren't angels, so government must check our baser instincts while preserving our dignity. The warrior-scholar internalises this: Humans are flawed but capable, fallen but redeemable. The task? Craft laws and culture that channel our potential without unleashing our demons.
The Pillars: Faith, Order, and Freedom in BalanceDunning's conservatism rests on interlocking pillars: faith, order, and freedom. Strip one away, and the whole edifice wobbles. Faith first, because without it, we're just atoms chasing appetites. C.S. Lewis called pride the "anti-God state of mind"; G.K. Chesterton quipped that tradition gives ancestors a vote. Both saw humility as freedom's foundation. When we ditch transcendence, we start worshipping our own egos, mistaking whims for rights. Proverbs nails it: "Better a patient man than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city." A warrior-scholar fights for temperance, not tantrums, knowing that a republic thrives on citizens who govern their passions before governing others.
Order and freedom are the yin-yang of governance. Alexander Hamilton championed "energy in the executive" but tethered it to accountability. Power without virtue is chaos; virtue without power is impotent. The warrior-scholar walks this tightrope, wielding strength with conscience. F.A. Hayek's warning about central planning — "the more the state 'plans,' the more difficult planning becomes for the individual" — is a siren call against bureaucratic overreach. Michael Novak and Ayn Rand, unlikely bedfellows, agree that moral markets reward effort and creativity, not greed. Capitalism isn't just economics; it's a cultural vote for discipline and service.
Viktor Frankl's insight — "Those who have a 'why' to live can bear almost any 'how'" — ties it together. Meaning, not comfort, fuels resilience. When politics becomes a therapy session, citizens turn into clients, whining for handouts instead of building futures. The warrior-scholar rejects this, championing purpose over grievance. Conservatism, in this view, is a call to create, not complain.
The Battleground: Culture, Economy, and SovereigntyDunning's warrior-scholar doesn't just ponder philosophy; they fight for it. The battlefields are clear: culture, economy, and sovereignty. Culture is the "moral weather" of a nation, as T.S. Eliot and W.B. Yeats warned in their poetic prophecies. When beauty and truth are mocked, disorder follows. The warrior-scholar restores reverence, through art, education, and ritual, because a society that sneers at its inheritance soon sneers at itself. Plato's admonition rings true: Indifference to public affairs hands the reins to evil men. The conservative must study, defend, and inspire, not just dominate.
Economically, the warrior-scholar sees markets as moral arenas. Debt that burdens future generations, subsidies that punish effort, and inflation that robs workers are betrayals of stewardship. Hayek's rule of law and Novak's moral ecology demand thrift and fairness, not expedience. The warrior-scholar fights for systems that reward risk and service, not cronyism or handouts.
Sovereignty is the final front. Hamilton's "cheap defence of nations" starts with secure borders and clear values. Chesterton's "terrible and tragic loyalty" to the national boat reminds us that patriotism isn't jingoism, it's gratitude for the gift of home. In an age of global technocracy, where unelected elites push "consensus" over consent, the warrior-scholar defends the nation-state as the last bulwark of self-rule.
The Warrior-Scholar in Action: A Modern BlueprintSo, what does this look like in 2025? The warrior-scholar isn't a cloistered monk or a keyboard warrior; they're a leader who blends ancient wisdom with modern tools. They're fluent in Aristotle and Adam Smith but also navigate X's real-time debates and AI-driven data streams. They protect free markets while calling out corporate monopolies that stifle innovation. They defend borders without demonising outsiders, balancing compassion with clarity. They champion families and faith communities as the first schools of virtue, not as relics but as engines of moral capital.
This figure isn't a partisan hack. They're not here to dunk on progressives or pander to populists. They're grounded in reality; human nature doesn't evolve as fast as our tech does. When ideologies dissolve sex into constructs or crime into victimhood, the warrior-scholar calls foul, not out of spite, but because truth is stubborn. As Burke said, a nation must be "lovely" to be loved. That means honouring creation, family, and the dignity of work.
The Challenge: Gratitude as the Ultimate WeaponDunning's final note, gratitude, is the warrior-scholar's secret sauce. Frankl's challenge to "change ourselves" when situations won't budge is a reminder: Reform starts within. The conservative leads by example, living the virtues they preach. Gratitude for inheritance, law, faith, family, breeds stewardship, not entitlement. A society dyed in resentment, as Aurelius warned, will drown in envy. One rooted in thanks will build.
The warrior-scholar's creed, virtue, order, liberty, faith, family, gratitude, isn't a bumper sticker; it's a blueprint for survival. In an era of algorithmic outrage and multicultural noise, conservatives must be more than reactionaries. They must be philosophers with fists, scholars with spines, ready to defend the permanent things against the tides of chaos.