The Edmund Burke Foundation - About the Foundation

About the Edmund Burke Foundation

Conservatism - formerly a byword for political irrelevance, it has in the last few years become a badge of honor for those who seek to make The Netherlands once again a beacon of freedom and dignity. Much of this change has been brought about by a small but committed group of conservatives who, in December 2000, decided to join forces in order to give conservatism a legitimate place in Dutch public debate.

These young conservatives set up a foundation named after the intellectual founding father of modern conservatism, the British philosopher and statesman Edmund Burke (1727-1797). In the spirit of Burke they hold that in the past forty years much has been destroyed that ought to have been preserved, and much forgotten that ought to have been remembered. The Judeo-Christian and classical humanist traditions -the twin pillars of our free societies- have been seriously damaged by years of neglect. Core institutions like the family, schools, churches and voluntary associations have seen their functions eroded by the gradual penetration of an all too powerful state into all the nooks and crannies of society.

Conservative pleas for a restoration of standards of common decency, for a revaluation of the core institutions of society, for education, and for a small but vital state which concentrates on core tasks like the protection of public safety have met with a remarkably positive response in Dutch society. Many people have expressed their support for conservative opinions and activities by supporting the Burke Foundation financially. Through their support, the Burke Foundation has been able to hold lectures, public debates and publish books, articles and pamphlets, thereby also increasing the public recognition of and appreciation for conservatism as a political force. The Burke Foundation has two core areas of activities. The first is the dissemination of knowledge of conservatism as a political and philosophical tradition, through a series of publications and academic conferences. The second is the education of college and graduate students through a series of student conferences (both one-day and weeklong conferences) at which talented students of all backgrounds receive an introduction in the study of the intellectual foundations of conservatism.