Investing in Ideas
Mission and program
The conservative Edmund Burke Stichting ("Foundation"), founded in December of 2000, aims to
conserve the virtuous elements of Dutch society, and to restore those virtuous
elements that have been lost.
The foundation realizes its mission by focusing on:
"Change ideas, and you can change the course of history"
We are committed and dedicated to a free and decent society
of strong citizens, a strong civil society and a small but effective
government. This group of people has found refuge at the Edmund Burke
Foundation, the platform for the formation of conservative thought in The
Netherlands. The Burke Foundation is free and independent--from
both the government and political parties. The Edmund Burke Foundation does not
exist to transform interests into power; the Foundation believes in the power
of ideas and in the importance of a healthy cultural-societal debate to future political decisions. Ideas-both good
and bad ideas-have consequences.
The power of ideas
People-including politicians, activists, teachers, journalists, members of the
clergy, etc.-can sometimes be agents of change, but ideas are the actual
creators of change. In the formulation and execution of policy-including the
pivotal choice between free enterprise and socialism, democracy and
dictatorship-ideas are of the highest, maybe even of supreme importance. The
convictions that people hold say a great deal about their
behavior, about their choice at the ballot box, about the laws and rules which
they embrace, and about the kind of system they wish to see implemented. Change
ideas and you can change the course of history.
People can be entranced by ideas-good and bad ideas. Ideas incite passions
and ignite revolutions. The last century has witnessed the rise of an Evil
Empire based upon the ideas of Karl Marx, followed by the dismantlement and
disappearance of this empire as a result of an even more powerful idea-the idea
of human freedom and dignity.
Ironically, the socialist John Maynard Keynes once expressed this thought eloquently: 'The
ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and
when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed, the
world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be
quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some
defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are
distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back. I am
sure that the power of vested interests is vastly exaggerated compared with the
gradual encroachment of ideas.. But, soon or late, it is ideas, not vested
interests, which are dangerous for good or evil.'
No one is untouched by the kind of society in which we live: citizens,
entrepreneurs, organizations. Whoever thinks that changes to the current
system are essential, and at the same time is convinced of what was said above
regarding the importance of ideas, cannot remain passive. He will want to make
a contribution to the formulation and the spread of good ideas.
The Edmund Burke Foundation
Resisting, the prevailing 'progressive' political and cultural climate in
The Netherlands, a group of young conservatives hoisted the flag of
conservatism high in December of 2000. They named their foundation after the founder of intellectual conservatism, the British Member of Parliament
Edmund Burke (1730-1797). In the spirit of Burke we are of the
opinion that much that was worth preserving and cherishing has been destroyed
in recent decades in our country. Many fundamental ideas from the
Judeo-Christian and classical-humanist traditions-the two pillars of our
civilization-were unjustly pushed aside, social connections were broken, and
within this vacuum of individualization and increasing anonymity the role of
government has grown to grotesque proportions.
Our plea for a restoration of
traditional values and decency, for the importance of family, civic
associations, neighborhoods and churches, for education, for a free market and
for a limited government focusing on its main duties-such as guaranteeing
safety for its citizens-has received an unexpectedly warm welcome in Dutch
society.
Because the Edmund Burke Foundation wants to be and remain free and independent,
we do not accept any government subsidies, and so we are completely
dependent on the contributions and donations of private citizens, other
foundations and companies- of people and organizations, in short, that are
convinced of the necessity to invest in ideas.
A widely discussed book Lof van het conservatisme ("In Praise of Conservatism"),
published in 2003 by Balans in Amsterdam, more than 550 articles, opinion
pieces and interviews in the media, in addition to numerous lectures and
successful participation in evening debates, have further spread conservative
thought and philosophy in the Netherlands.
Many seminars and lectures have been held in the offices of the Foundation: key
topics have included 'Holland as an idea', foreign policy and the issue of the 'multicultural society'.
These meetings repeatedly led to lively exchanges between specialists, members
of parliament and cabinet ministers, all under the watchful eye of the media.
In recent years Roger Scruton, a prominent British conservative, Herman de
Dijn, a Belgian philosopher, and Onno Ruding, a former Dutch finance Minister,
have held the annual Burke Lecture. The Burke lecture is published in
book-format each year.
Of particular importance to the Burke Foundation is work done to train students
in conservative thought; those students are not exposed to conservative thought
and ideas in Dutch universities, which remain bastions of 'progressive'
thought. The Burke Foundation organizes summer- and winter-schools, one-day
conferences and master classes, where talented students are taught the
foundations, appearances and practical translation of conservatism.
Mission
Our mission is far from complete. For its important and heavy work-laid out each
year in ambitious programs-the Burke Foundation seeks the support of
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individuals and groups that are concerned about the numerous changes currently
taking place in Dutch society, and are willing to think about and discuss these
issues, and are not only searching for a position but want to understand the
arguments for that position and carry out those arguments
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businessmen and entrepreneurs who are willing to invest in a group that
propagates the ideal of a free and decent society, and who wish to do so out of
the realization that their success is not only due to their own talents and
creativity, but also due to the opportunities and freedom which society offered
them, and who out of gratitude for those opportunities and that freedom are
willing to make a contribution to maintain and reinforce the good in society.
With your support, the Edmund Burke Foundation can develop into a stream of
influence and significance within Dutch society and the Dutch political
structure. If you wish to support the work of the Burke Foundation, you can
choose from amongst the following possibilities:
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donor, for a minimum contribution of 65 euros per year. You will receive
invitations for our meetings (through e-mail), will get a copy of our
newsletter four times per year, in addition to the booklet containing the
annual Burke Lecture, and a copy of our publications.
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student donor, for 25 euros per year. The same privileges as above, and
priority in the selection for student events.
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Edmund Burke Donor, for 500 euros per year. Same privileges as above, and
invitations for closed meetings.
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Corporate donations. The possibilities for these donations are available upon
request.
All donations given to the Burke Foundation are tax-deductible.
Kamer van Koophandel Haaglanden (Chamber of Commerce of Haaglanden), nr.
27199376
Make your donations available to "Edmund Burke Stichting te Den Haag", Rabobank
nr. 3832 75660
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here.
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