On this, the fifth anniversary of The Imaginative Conservative, it is fitting for us to unveil our new seal, one which exemplifies the mission of The Imaginative Conservative. We have created an image in which every element serves a purpose—one that not only encompasses our mission, but which is also original and instantly recognizable. In this essay, I shall discuss the significance and the meaning of these elements: a balance, two swords, the Parthenon, and a book.

The Imaginative Conservative is a place of ideas. By means of our daily essays, weekly quotations and poems, we strive to join together a community of thinkers who carefully consider the ideas that have shaped Western Civilization. We trust that our readers read our journal with an open mind, thoughtfully weighing each essay. This process is represented in our seal by the symbol of the balance. “Come, let us reason together,” says the Lord in the Book of Isaiah.

Truth, however, can take on many forms. This is where the imagination comes into play—or more specifically, the sword of the imagination, an image suggested by the great Russell Kirk. By cultivating our imaginations—a fundamentally human ability—we can more fully partake in the rational bliss of knowing truth and loving the goodness of wisdom. It is by means of the sword of the imagination that we can cut through to the truth, dispelling falsity and our inherent biases.

The tradition of pursuing the good, the true, and the beautiful is inherent in the Western tradition. The Imaginative Conservative seeks these three transcendentals by considering culture, liberal learning, politics, political economy, literature, the arts, and the American Republic, in the tradition of Russell Kirk, T.S. Eliot, Edmund Burke, Irving Babbitt, Wilhelm Roepke, Robert Nisbet, Richard Weaver, M.E. Bradford, Eric Voegelin, Christopher Dawson, Paul Elmer More, and other leaders of conservatism. For this reason, the Parthenon is included in our seal to remind our community of the Western tradition, which actively affects the present times, and whose hallmarks we seek to preserve. It is by preserving this tradition that we can—as T.S. Eliot wrote—redeem the time.

Finally, The Imaginative Conservative is a place of learning; hence, the fourth image of the seal, a book. Books present to us an opportunity: an opportunity to search for wisdom, to engage in disciplined contemplation, to partake in the beauty of language and the human experience, and to participate in a tradition of learning. Oftentimes, when reading, one must step back and withdraw into a state of meditative privacy in order to grasp fully the ideas present and absorb them into one’s own being.

Therefore, on this our fifth anniversary, we hope you accept the invitation that we extend and which our seal depicts. We hope, with our readers, to join together in the adventure of seeking the good, the true, and the beautiful, though the cultivation of our imaginations; we hope to learn from the best thinking of the past and to preserve this inheritance for the benefit of future generations. We are confident that within our pages our readers will find worthy truths that will enrich their minds and spirits.

Our seal was designed by Ashlynn Ivy, a graphic designer in Houston, Texas.

All comments are moderated and must be civil, concise, and constructive to the conversation. Comments that are critical of an essay may be approved, but comments containing ad hominem criticism of the author will not be published. Also, comments containing web links or block quotations are unlikely to be approved. Keep in mind that essays represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Imaginative Conservative or its editor or publisher.

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