Books by Roger Scruton

5. Roger Scruton, Music as an Art .  The chapter on Schubert is the highlight, and perhaps the best explanation of that composer’s beauty and importance.  The book is otherwise high variance, with the remarks on morals and aesthetic philosophy much weaker.  At times he pops open an insight when it is least expected, such as on heavy metal music: “In the realm of pop they were the modernists, undergoing in their own way that revolution against kitsch and cliche that had set Schoenberg and Adorno ...

5. Roger Scruton, How to Think Seriously About the Planet: The Case for an Environmental Conservatism .  I like Elinor Ostrom as much as the next guy, and this book is well-written, but I am not persuaded by the argument that environmental issues fundamentally can be handled on a local level.  At least a few important ones cannot.

That is the new Roger Scruton book , which I finished with pleasure.  Here is one good passage:

That is from Roger Scruton’s over the top but nonetheless fascinating England: An Elegy ; he portrays the English as a people who have substituted morale and teamwork for intimacy.  If you are looking to understand why so many parts of the world find it difficult to adopt either capitalism or free political institutions, this is one of the very best places to start.  The English recipe is by no means the only way to go, but from Scruton one gets a good sense of just how much cultural background ...