To believe in something without any foundation is to be lost without direction. Some men are indeed at ease and comfortable with not having to undertake in the laborious work of thinking. Why think if others will easily undertake such irksome work? Many men will not dare seek the limits of their beliefs or seek to expand beyond that which is already known, which represents the majority of mankind.

You then have those who seek to explore the depths and boundaries of our understanding, embarking on an epistemological journey in search of justified beliefs to help the masses gauge their utility. Sir Roger Scruton was one such man, steeped in a foundation of political thought that denotes centuries of reflections, ideas, and engagements about human behavior.

Scruton died on Sunday, Jan. 12. He was one of the most formidable conservative philosophers and political theorists of his generation and will be regarded as one of the most authoritative intellectuals on conservatism in 120 years.

He understood and valued what our favorite philosopher, Immanuel Kant, wrote, “Freedom is only enjoyed when you are unrestricted.” To be unrestricted, then to suggest emancipation through education, which is exhibited when a person can process and deliberate not only the world in which we live but also the self-conscious relationship that we all have in relationship to it, as Michael Oakeshott noted, “may rise to the condition of a self-understanding.” Then and only then can one be unrestricted and “free,” which Scruton was.

He published over 40 books that ranged from philosophy, aesthetics, and politics. His repertoire even included musical compositions. He was more than just a philosopher, he was both teacher and student, an intellectual explorer who cared about matters both big and small and sought to make the novelty that is conservative philosophy relevant, or, as he put it, “ideas through which modern political beliefs find expression.”

In an era where being a conservative is often met with disdain, Scruton continuously sought to define conservatism's role in a continuously changing world. He sought to defend and further define an outlook that seeks to conserve existing networks such as family, community, and institutions that are built on trust, familiarity, and customs of behavior. That is not to say that one should be reactionary and opposed to change, as we have to reform to conserve, but it is to say that we must be mindful of what we have inherited and what from that inheritance can be reformed and amended and what should be thrown away because, as Roger put it, we must ensure the long-term survival of our communities.

It is in that thought process that we discover what he intended to teach us, which is to be careful of unintended consequences and to place value not only in ourselves, but in our families, our communities, and each other. Despite the advancements of technology, reason alone is not enough.

Scruton understood, as Aristotle and Edmund Burke did before him, that “the aim of political life is to refine the use of reason and to implant in the citizen the virtues that are necessary for its collective exercise.” In essence, for reason to yield anything good, it must first be rooted in customs and institutions, which he believed was conservatism's principal contribution.

I want to thank Scruton for helping me expand my theoretical knowledge of philosophy and conservatism. In college, his books were my greatest teacher when I struggled as a young African American to define my conservative thoughts with a depth rooted in a foundation of authority. Today, my ability to do so is owed to Scruton. I am forever grateful for what he offered the world, but most importantly for what he offered me. Nothing lasts forever, but he did the most with the time he had.

Shermichael Singleton (@Shermichael_) is a Republican strategist and political analyst regularly appearing on MSNBC.