Author Description

Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956) was an American journalist committed to defending the philosophy of individualism whereby each person is free to do what they wish so long as they do not harm others. In Mencken's Conservatism, Benjamin Marks brings together H.L. Mencken's ideas and tries to find the common themes running through his thinking. He identifies conservatism as one such important theme. As Marks observes, "It was only by... stretches of the imagination that [Mencken] could be perceived as anything other than a conservative libertarian" because "he doubted the goodness, honesty and truth of all government and any religion". Moreover, "Mencken neither ruled out the possibility and success of a libertarian revolution, nor thought it would happen soon. His expectations were invariably conservative".