Chatbots of Peace: “Red Sources”
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Purpose
The "red corpus” is a collection of written materials that we pre-load into the chatbot, so that it can answer questions using a conservative perspective.
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Where did the red corpus come from?
A two-step process:
1] Ask AI to select a starter set by finding the conservative works most widely recommended by reputable magazines and newspapers.
2] Continue growing the corpus through human input from conservative voices found in our community, online, and among publishers. -
Who's selecting the materials found in the red corpus?
The founders of the Post-Partisan Network recruits volunteers to interview conservatives and publishers, make selections, and document why each work is added to the corpus. Anyone interested in joining the selection committee can contact us using the Connect With Us button at the top of this page.
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What's in the red corpus?
The current contents of the red corpus is listed below, grouped by the selection round that added each set of titles. We’ve also included background info on each round, such as the instructions to the selection committee, their membership, and the justifications for the works they selected.
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Did the PPN just include everything people suggested?
We tried. There’s a limit to how many pages a chatbot can hold in its mind at once. Currently red and blues get 250 items each. We also screened for quality material from reputable sources.
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How did the PPN ensure the chatbot's reference material was balanced?
We dedicated up to one third of the reference limit to materials endorsed by both the red and blue selection committees. From there, we added red and blue sources one at a time until we reached the maximum pages allowed.
Materials Currently in the “Red Corpus”
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The Road to Serfdom F.A. Hayek
The Federalist Papers Hamilton, Madison, Jay
Witness Whittaker Chambers
Democracy in America Alexis de Tocqueville
The Conscience of a Conservative Barry Goldwater
Free to Choose Milton Friedman
On Liberty John Stuart Mill
Thinking about Crime James Q Wilson
The Abolition of Man C.S. Lewis
Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand
Animal Farm George Orwell
A Conflict of Visions Thomas Sowell
Orthodoxy G.K. Chesterton
The Conservative Mind Russell Kirk
The Fountainhead Ayn Rand
1984 George Orwell -
“Find some articles titled like "The Top N Books that Every Conservative Should Read" or "The Top N Authors that Every Conservative Should Know." Consolidate those recommendations to a list of books by a] How often they were recommended, b] the author, and c] the book titles.”
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Conservative Reading Recommendations: A Comprehensive Analysis
Based on extensive research of conservative reading lists and recommendations from prominent conservative organizations, publications, and intellectuals, this analysis consolidates book recommendations from multiple authoritative sources to identify the most frequently recommended conservative literature.
Research Methodology
This analysis examined conservative reading lists from multiple reputable sources, including Young America's Foundation1, the Heritage Foundation12, Five Books expert panel13, Conservative Book Society6, Business Insider14, and various conservative publications and organizations234578. The consolidation process involved tracking book frequency across different recommendation lists and identifying patterns in conservative intellectual thought.
Most Frequently Recommended Conservative Books
Top 10 Conservative Books by Recommendation Frequency
RankTitleAuthorFrequencySources1The Road to SerfdomF.A. Hayek135 different sources2The Federalist PapersHamilton, Madison, Jay105 different sources3WitnessWhittaker Chambers9Expert panel voting4Democracy in AmericaAlexis de Tocqueville83 different sources5The Conscience of a ConservativeBarry Goldwater63 different sources6Free to ChooseMilton Friedman5Expert panel7On LibertyJohn Stuart Mill5Expert panel8Thinking about CrimeJames Q Wilson5Expert panel9The Abolition of ManC.S. Lewis44 different sources10Atlas ShruggedAyn Rand44 different sources
Additional Highly Recommended Works
Tied at 4 Recommendations:
3 Recommendations:
A Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell236 - Praised for its philosophical clarity on ideological differences
2 Recommendations Each:
Most Frequently Recommended Conservative Authors
Top 15 Authors by Total Recommendations
Alexander Hamilton - 10 recommendations (primarily for The Federalist Papers)125613
James Madison - 10 recommendations (primarily for The Federalist Papers)125613
John Jay - 10 recommendations (primarily for The Federalist Papers)125613
Whittaker Chambers - 9 recommendations13
John Stuart Mill - 5 recommendations13
James Q Wilson - 5 recommendations13
Thomas Sowell - 5 recommendations (across multiple works)2367
Analysis of Foundational Conservative Literature
Economic and Political Philosophy
The most frequently recommended books demonstrate a clear emphasis on economic liberty and limited government principles1612. The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek stands as the most universally recommended work, appearing in virtually every conservative reading list examined125613. This work warns against the dangers of central planning and government overreach22.
The Federalist Papers represents the second most recommended work, reflecting the conservative emphasis on constitutional principles and the original intent of America's founding documents12561325. These essays by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay continue to serve as essential reading for understanding American constitutional government25.
Historical and Biographical Works
Witness by Whittaker Chambers, despite appearing primarily in expert panel recommendations, received the third-highest frequency score with 9 votes from a panel of conservative commentators and politicians13. This autobiographical work about Soviet espionage helped shape political conservatism in America10.
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville appears consistently across multiple lists, valued for its insights into American democratic institutions and social customs5131430.
Contemporary Conservative Thought
The Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater remains influential more than 60 years after publication, credited with reigniting the conservative movement71415. The work articulates core conservative principles including individual freedom and limited government29.
Thomas Sowell appears multiple times across different works, with A Conflict of Visions being his most frequently recommended book236. This work provides philosophical clarity on the ideological differences between conservative and liberal worldviews18.
Foundational vs. Contemporary Classifications
Classical Foundations
The most recommended works include several foundational texts that predate the modern conservative movement:
Classical philosophy (Aristotle's The Politics)5
Founding documents (The Federalist Papers, Declaration of Independence)156
20th Century Conservative Thought
Modern conservative intellectual development is represented by:
Conclusion
This comprehensive analysis reveals a conservative intellectual canon that emphasizes constitutional principles, economic liberty, and skepticism of centralized power161213. The most frequently recommended authors—Hayek, the Founding Fathers, Chambers, and Tocqueville—represent both historical wisdom and contemporary application of conservative principles. The dominance of works like The Road to Serfdom and The Federalist Papers across multiple recommendation lists demonstrates the enduring relevance of these foundational texts in conservative thought125613.
The analysis indicates that conservative reading recommendations prioritize works that articulate principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, free markets, and traditional values, while maintaining intellectual rigor and historical perspective121333.
Add to follow-up
https://yaf.org/news/9-books-every-conservative-student-needs-to-read/
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskConservatives/comments/yozf8o/conservative_reading_list/
https://www.savingelephantsblog.com/post/40-must-read-books-for-the-young-conservative
https://www.bestdegreeprograms.org/best-books-for-young-republicans/
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/7959595-10-books-every-conservative-must-read
https://conservativebooksociety.com/the-ultimate-conservative-reading-list/
https://yaf.org/news/here-are-11-conservative-books-you-should-read-while-self-quarantining/
https://www.regnery.com/9781596986046/10-books-every-conservative-must-read/
https://www.audible.com/topic/audiobooks-conservative-authors
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3921.Best_Conservative_Books
https://www.heritage.org/political-process/report/ten-conservative-books
https://www.businessinsider.com/top-conservative-books-2013-3
https://spectator.org/this-year-read-these-classic-conservative-books/
https://indypl.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/1343250049/1838606729
https://www.conservativebookclub.com/30796/featured-article/thomas-sowell-5-best-conservative-books
https://horkan.com/2023/09/14/thomas-sowell-recommended-reading-list
https://auxiliarymemory.com/2019/01/15/how-to-read-the-federalist-papers/
https://www.shortform.com/summary/conscience-of-a-conservative-summary-barry-goldwater
https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Truth-in-The-Abolition-of-Man.pdf
https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/books-that-matter-the-federalist-papers
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PPN is now recruiting volunteers to participate in round 1. If you’re interested, use the “Connect with Us” button at the top of this page.