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Kirk obtained his B.A. at Michigan State University, thanks to a scholarship, then took an M.A. at Duke University. After serving in the Army during World War II, he attended the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. In 1953, he became the first American to be awarded the degree of doctor of letters by that university.

Kirk obtained his B.A. at Michigan State University, thanks to a scholarship, then took an M.A. at Duke University. After serving in the Army during World War II, he attended the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. In 1953, he became the first American to be awarded the degree of doctor of letters by that university.

Kirk taught briefly at Michigan State. He resigned in 1959, after having become disenchanted with that university's academic standards, rapid growth in student numbers, and emphasis on intercollegiate athletics and technical training at the expense of the traditional liberal arts. Thereafter he ridiculed Michigan State as "Cow College" or "Behemoth University." He later wrote that academic political scientists and sociologists were "as a breed--dull dogs."<ref> Kirk, ''The Portable Conservative Reader''. 1982. page xxxviii.</ref> Late in life, he taught one semester a year at [[Hillsdale College]], where he was Distinguished Visiting Professor of Humanities.

Kirk taught briefly at Michigan State. He resigned in 1959, after having become disenchanted with that university's academic standards, rapid growth in student numbers, and emphasis on intercollegiate athletics and technical training at the expense of the traditional liberal arts. Thereafter he ridiculed Michigan State as "Cow College" or "Behemoth University." He later wrote that academic political scientists and sociologists were "as a breed--dull dogs."<ref>Kirk, ''The Portable Conservative Reader''. 1982. page xxxviii.</ref> Late in life, he taught one semester a year at [[Hillsdale College]], where he was Distinguished Visiting Professor of Humanities.

Kirk frequently published in two American conservative journals he helped found, ''[[National Review]]'' in 1955 and ''[[Modern Age]]'' in 1957. He was the founding editor of the latter, 1957-59. Later he was made a Distinguished Fellow of the [[Heritage Foundation]], where he gave a number of lectures.<ref>Many published in his ''The Politics of Prudence'' (1993) and ''Redeeming the Time'' (1998).</ref>

Kirk frequently published in two American conservative journals he helped found, ''[[National Review]]'' in 1955 and ''[[Modern Age]]'' in 1957. He was the founding editor of the latter, 1957-59. Later he was made a Distinguished Fellow of the [[Heritage Foundation]], where he gave a number of lectures.<ref>Many published in his ''The Politics of Prudence'' (1993) and ''Redeeming the Time'' (1998).</ref>

===Conservative attacks on Kirk===

===Conservative attacks on Kirk===

Some conservatives have strongly rejected Kirk's reading of the conservative tradition. Notably Claremeon scholar [[Harry Jaffa]] (a student of [[Leo Strauss]]) thought Kirk misread Burke because Burke's attack on metaphysical reasoning related only to modern philosophy's attempt to eliminate skeptical doubt from its premises and hence from its conclusions. Jaffa said:

Some conservatives have strongly rejected Kirk's reading of the conservative tradition. Notably Claremeon scholar [[Harry Jaffa]] (a student of [[Leo Strauss]]) thought Kirk misread Burke because Burke's attack on metaphysical reasoning related only to modern philosophy's attempt to eliminate skeptical doubt from its premises and hence from its conclusions. Jaffa said:

:Like T.S. Eliot, Kirk wanted Christianity established in America. Like Eliot, he thought that "free thinking Jews" were a corrosive element within Christian civilization. For Kirk, the Enlightenment, as the moving cause of Jewish emancipation, as well as of the French Revolution, was the source of virtually all evil in the modern world.... Kirk and Kristol have been as one in their fanatical opposition to the doctrines embodied in the Declaration of Independence....their influence has been exerted to ignore or ridicule anyone who—like Jefferson, Lincoln, and Pope John Paul—believes that the truths held to be self-evident really are so, and can be proved to be so....[Kirk wrote]: "the Declaration is not conspicuously American in its ideas or its phrases, and not even characteristically Jeffersonian."<ref> Harry Jaffa, [http://www.claremont.org/publications/pubid.670/pub_detail.asp "The False Prophets of American Conservatism" (1998)]</ref>

:Like T.S. Eliot, Kirk wanted Christianity established in America. Like Eliot, he thought that "free thinking Jews" were a corrosive element within Christian civilization. For Kirk, the Enlightenment, as the moving cause of Jewish emancipation, as well as of the French Revolution, was the source of virtually all evil in the modern world.... Kirk and Kristol have been as one in their fanatical opposition to the doctrines embodied in the Declaration of Independence....their influence has been exerted to ignore or ridicule anyone who—like Jefferson, Lincoln, and Pope John Paul—believes that the truths held to be self-evident really are so, and can be proved to be so....[Kirk wrote]: "the Declaration is not conspicuously American in its ideas or its phrases, and not even characteristically Jeffersonian."<ref>Harry Jaffa, [http://www.claremont.org/publications/pubid.670/pub_detail.asp "The False Prophets of American Conservatism" (1998)]</ref>

===Kirk and Orestes Brownson===

===Kirk and Orestes Brownson===

===Principles===

===Principles===

see [[Conservative principles]]

see [[Conservative principles]]

Kirk developed six "canons" of conservatism, which Russello (2004) described as follows:<br>

Kirk developed six "canons" of conservatism, which Russello (2004) described as follows:

#A belief in a transcendent order, which Kirk described variously as based in tradition, divine revelation, or natural law;

#A belief in a transcendent order, which Kirk described variously as based in tradition, divine revelation, or natural law;

#An affection for the "variety and mystery" of human existence;

#An affection for the "variety and mystery" of human existence;

#A conviction that society requires orders and classes that emphasize "natural" distinctions;<br>

#A conviction that society requires orders and classes that emphasize "natural" distinctions;

#A belief that property and freedom are closely linked;

#A belief that property and freedom are closely linked;

#A faith in custom, convention, and prescription, and

#A faith in custom, convention, and prescription, and

#A recognition that innovation must be tied to existing traditions and customs, which entails a respect for the political value of prudence.

#A recognition that innovation must be tied to existing traditions and customs, which entails a respect for the political value of prudence.

Kirk said that Christianity and Western Civilization are "unimaginable apart from one another."<ref> See  [http://theoccidentalquarterly.com/vol5no2/52-griffin.html]</ref> and that "all culture arises out of religion. When religious faith decays, culture must decline, though often seeming to flourish for a space after the religion which has nourished it has sunk into disbelief." <ref> See [http://www.thomasaquinas.edu/news/pressroom/inthenews/other/books_faith.html]</ref>

Kirk said that Christianity and Western Civilization are "unimaginable apart from one another."<ref>[http://theoccidentalquarterly.com/vol5no2/52-griffin.html See]</ref> and that "all culture arises out of religion. When religious faith decays, culture must decline, though often seeming to flourish for a space after the religion which has nourished it has sunk into disbelief." <ref>[http://www.thomasaquinas.edu/news/pressroom/inthenews/other/books_faith.html See]</ref>

===Kirk and Libertarianism===

===Kirk and Libertarianism===

Kirk grounded his "Burkean conservatism" in tradition, political philosophy, ''belles lettres'', and the strong religious faith of his later years; rather than libertarianism and free market economic reasoning. ''The Conservative Mind'' hardly mentions economics at all.  

Kirk grounded his "Burkean conservatism" in tradition, political philosophy, ''belles lettres'', and the strong religious faith of his later years; rather than libertarianism and free market economic reasoning. ''The Conservative Mind'' hardly mentions economics at all.  

In a polemic essay,<ref> See [http://emp.byui.edu/DavisR/202/Libertarians.htm]</ref> Kirk (quoting [[T. S. Eliot]]) called libertarians "chirping sectaries", adding that they and conservatives have nothing in common. He called the libertarian movement "an ideological clique forever splitting into sects still smaller and odder, but rarely conjugating."  He said a line of division exists between believers in "some sort of transcendent moral order" and "utilitarians admitting no transcendent sanctions for conduct." He included libertarians in the latter category.<ref> See [http://emp.byui.edu/DavisR/202/Libertarians.htm] </ref>

In a polemic essay,<ref>[http://emp.byui.edu/DavisR/202/Libertarians.htm See]</ref> Kirk (quoting [[T. S. Eliot]]) called libertarians "chirping sectaries", adding that they and conservatives have nothing in common. He called the libertarian movement "an ideological clique forever splitting into sects still smaller and odder, but rarely conjugating."  He said a line of division exists between believers in "some sort of transcendent moral order" and "utilitarians admitting no transcendent sanctions for conduct." He included libertarians in the latter category.<ref>[http://emp.byui.edu/DavisR/202/Libertarians.htm See]</ref>

===Kirk and Neoconservatism===

===Kirk and Neoconservatism===

Late in life, Kirk grew disenchanted with American [[neoconservatism|neoconservatives]] as well. On December 15, 1988, he gave a lecture at the Heritage Foundation, titled "The Neoconservatives: An Endangered Species."<ref> See  [http://www.heritage.org/Research/PoliticalPhilosophy/HL178.cfm] </ref>  As ''Chronicles'' editor Scott Richert describes it,   

Late in life, Kirk grew disenchanted with American [[neoconservatism|neoconservatives]] as well. On December 15, 1988, he gave a lecture at the Heritage Foundation, titled "The Neoconservatives: An Endangered Species."<ref>[http://www.heritage.org/Research/PoliticalPhilosophy/HL178.cfm See]</ref>  As ''Chronicles'' editor Scott Richert describes it,   

<blockquote>[One line] helped define the emerging struggle between neoconservatives and paleoconservatives. "Not seldom has it seemed," Kirk declared, "as if some eminent Neoconservatives mistook Tel Aviv for the capital of the United States." A few years later, in another Heritage Foundation speech, Kirk repeated that line verbatim. In the wake of the Gulf War, which he had opposed, he clearly understood that those words carried even greater meaning.<ref> See [http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/Chronicles/July2004/0704Richert.html]</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>[One line] helped define the emerging struggle between neoconservatives and paleoconservatives. "Not seldom has it seemed," Kirk declared, "as if some eminent Neoconservatives mistook Tel Aviv for the capital of the United States." A few years later, in another Heritage Foundation speech, Kirk repeated that line verbatim. In the wake of the Gulf War, which he had opposed, he clearly understood that those words carried even greater meaning.<ref>[http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/Chronicles/July2004/0704Richert.html See]</ref></blockquote>

Neoconservative [[Midge Decter]] attacked Kirk's line as "a bloody outrage, a piece of anti-Semitism by Kirk that impugns the loyalty of neoconservatives." She claimed that Kirk "said people like my husband and me put the interest of Israel before the interest of the United States, that we have a dual loyalty." She told [[The New Republic]], "It's this notion of a Christian civilization. You have to be part of it or you're not really fit to conserve anything. That's an old line and it's very ignorant."<ref> See [http://www.cofcc.org/foundation/neoconservatism.htm]</ref>

Neoconservative [[Midge Decter]] attacked Kirk's line as "a bloody outrage, a piece of anti-Semitism by Kirk that impugns the loyalty of neoconservatives." She claimed that Kirk "said people like my husband and me put the interest of Israel before the interest of the United States, that we have a dual loyalty." She told [[The New Republic]], "It's this notion of a Christian civilization. You have to be part of it or you're not really fit to conserve anything. That's an old line and it's very ignorant."<ref>[http://www.cofcc.org/foundation/neoconservatism.htm See]</ref>

Paleoconservative [[Samuel Francis]] called Kirk's "Tel Aviv" remark "a wisecrack about the slavishly pro-Israel sympathies among neoconservatives.<ref>See [http://www.cofcc.org/foundation/neoconservatism.htm]</ref> He called Decter's response untrue, "reckless" and "vitriolic." Furthermore, he argued that such a denunciation "always plays into the hands of the left, which is then able to repeat the charges and claim conservative endorsement of them."<ref> See

Paleoconservative [[Samuel Francis]] called Kirk's "Tel Aviv" remark "a wisecrack about the slavishly pro-Israel sympathies among neoconservatives.<ref>[http://www.cofcc.org/foundation/neoconservatism.htm See]</ref> He called Decter's response untrue, "reckless" and "vitriolic." Furthermore, he argued that such a denunciation "always plays into the hands of the left, which is then able to repeat the charges and claim conservative endorsement of them."<ref>[http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/1996/vo12no16/vo12no16_invasion.htm See]</ref>

[http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/1996/vo12no16/vo12no16_invasion.htm]</ref>

==Man of letters==

==Man of letters==

His supernatural tales were collected in three volumes, ''The Surly Sullen Bell'', ''The Princess of All Lands'', and ''Watchers at the Strait Gate'', and in ''Off the Sand Road'' (2002) and ''What Shadows We Pursue'' (2003). Kirk's "There's A Long, Long Trail A-Winding" won the 1977 World Fantasy Award for best novella.  

His supernatural tales were collected in three volumes, ''The Surly Sullen Bell'', ''The Princess of All Lands'', and ''Watchers at the Strait Gate'', and in ''Off the Sand Road'' (2002) and ''What Shadows We Pursue'' (2003). Kirk's "There's A Long, Long Trail A-Winding" won the 1977 World Fantasy Award for best novella.  

The science-fiction writer [[Jerry Pournelle]] is a protégé of Kirk's.<ref> See [http://www.jerrypournelle.com/archives2/archives2view/view322.html]</ref>

The science-fiction writer [[Jerry Pournelle]] is a protégé of Kirk's.<ref>[http://www.jerrypournelle.com/archives2/archives2view/view322.html See]</ref>

* Nash, George H.,  ''The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America''. (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Conservative-Intellectual-Movement-America-Since/dp/1933859121/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201205931&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]

* Nash, George H.,  ''The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America''. (2006) [http://www.amazon.com/Conservative-Intellectual-Movement-America-Since/dp/1933859121/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201205931&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]

* Person, Jr., James E., 1999. ''Russell Kirk:  A Critical Biography of a Conservative Mind''. [http://www.amazon.com/Russell-Kirk-Critical-Biography-Conservative/dp/1568331312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201205984&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]

* Person, Jr., James E., 1999. ''Russell Kirk:  A Critical Biography of a Conservative Mind''. [http://www.amazon.com/Russell-Kirk-Critical-Biography-Conservative/dp/1568331312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201205984&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]

* Russello, Gerald J. "The Jurisprudence of Russell Kirk," ''Modern Age'' 1996,  38: 354-63. Issn: 0026-7457. Reviews Kirk's writings on law, 1976-93, exploring his notion of natural law, his emphasis on the importance of the English common law tradition, and his theories of change and continuity in legal history.

* Russello, Gerald J. "The Jurisprudence of Russell Kirk," ''Modern Age'' 1996,  38: 354-63. Issn: 0026-7457. Reviews Kirk's writings on law, 1976–93, exploring his notion of natural law, his emphasis on the importance of the English common law tradition, and his theories of change and continuity in legal history.

* Russello, Gerald J. ''The Postmodern Imagination of Russell Kirk''. (2007) University of Missouri Press. [http://www.amazon.com/Postmodern-Imagination-Russell-Kirk/dp/0826217206/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201205466&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]

* Russello, Gerald J. ''The Postmodern Imagination of Russell Kirk''. (2007) University of Missouri Press. [http://www.amazon.com/Postmodern-Imagination-Russell-Kirk/dp/0826217206/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201205466&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]

* Russello, Gerald J. "Time and Timeless: the Historical Imagination of Russell Kirk," ''Modern Age'' 1999, 41: 209-19. Issn: 0026-7457.

* Russello, Gerald J. "Time and Timeless: the Historical Imagination of Russell Kirk," ''Modern Age'' 1999, 41: 209-19. Issn: 0026-7457.