concervative thinkers Flashcards
what does robert nozik say on taxation?
“taxation of earnings from labour is on par with forced labour”
what does ayn rand say about a large state?
“when the state becomes flabby it also becomes febel”
what does ayn rand say about the right to property?
“the right to property does not mean others must provide you with property”
what did robert nozik say about human nature?
humans are “freedom loving pack animals”
what does thomas hobbes say about human nature?
“solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”
what does thomas hobbes say would be the state of nature?
“war of every man against every man”
what does robert nozik say about the size of the state?
“the minimal state is the most extensive state that can be justified”
what does thomas hobbes believe is the human urge? what does this therefore say about why conservatives believe individuals commit crime?
“power after power”, believe people commit crime not because of social position but instead a consequence of human instinct.
how does edmund burke describe the evolution society?
“society is a contract between the dead, the living and those that are yet to be born”
how does edmund burke describe the organisation of society?
“little platoons”
why does michael okeshott fear change?
we must ensure “the cure isnt worse than the disease”
how does margaret thatcher describe society?
“there is no such thing as society, there are individuals and there are families”
how does michael okeshott describe conservatism?- 2 quotes
“it is more psychology than ideology”
“to be conservative is to prefer the familar to the unknown”
what does benjamin disraeli believe to be the duty of the state?
“to eleviate the conditions of the people”
what does ian gilmore say about pragmatism?
“the wise conservative travels light”
what does harrold macmillan say about privatisation?
it is “selling the family silver”
what was burkes approach to change?
instead of radical change he favoured “change in order to conserve”
how does the conservative position on human nature influence their position on the state?
- the only effective deterent to humans acting on their instincts is a large ‘leviathan state’
why does michael okeshott argue for pragmatism?
belief that human intelect is limited and that the world is ‘boundless and bottomless’ (to complex for humans to understand
why is thomas hobbes view of the state
“leviathan state”
what was okeshotts view of governance?
it was a “specific and limited activity”
what does burke say about hierachy?
there is a “natural aristocracy” who have a natural capacity to give direction and lead
why was burke so opposed to the french revolution?
- they abbondoned traditional institutions in favour of ideological ideas based on a flawed positive view of human nature
give an example of when conservative thinkers have influenced modern politicians.
- michael okeshott influenced the ideas of david cameron
- encoraged a more pragmatic view towards society
- david camerons “compasionate conservatism”
