Conservatism Flashcards
Who are the five key thinkers for conservatism?
Thomas Hobbes
Edmund Burke
Michael Oakeshott
Ayn Rand
Robert Nozick
What two categories is Hobbes most useful for?
Society and human nature
What was Hobbes book where he developed two conservative ideas called?
Leviathan (1651)
What does Hobbes believe in terms of society?
Society should be ordered and balance the human need to live a free life.
In a ‘state of nature’, humans are free from authority and a ‘restless desire for power’ would lead to war.
Rational people would therefore sacrifice their freedom and nature rights for security through the establishment of political authority.
Government is therefore established by the joint consent of the people, and authorises those in power to preserve order and peace.
What does Hobbes believe in terms of human nature?
Human demonstrate needy and vulnerable characteristics by:
- completing violently to obtain the basic necessities of life and other material gains
- fighting out of fear to ensure their personal safety
- seeking reputation, both for its own sake and to avoid being challenged by others.
Human capacity to reason is fragile and people’s attempts to interpret the world are distorted by self-interest and the concerns of the moment.
What two categories is Burke useful for?
State and society
What was the name of the book where Burke developed two key conservative ideas?
Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790)
What does Burke believe in terms of the state?
Political change should be undertake with great caution and organically.
The state resembles a living organism like a plan that may be changed through gentle ‘pruning’ in order to preserve the stability and harmony of the social and political order.
Reform should be limited and cautious and be based on empiricism and tradition.
Revolutionary change threatens to cut off the ‘roots’ of the organic society leading to social and political breakdown.
What does Burke believe in terms of society?
He believes in tradition and empiricism.
They represent the accumulated and ‘tested’ wisdom of the past residing in society’s longstanding institutions, customs and practices.
Continuing respect for tradition and empiricism promotes social continuity and stability and provides the essential reference points for ‘necessary’ change.
They encourage social cohesion and security because they offer people a sense of being rooted in and tied to their particular society.
What are the names of the two books where Oakeshott laid out his ideas?
Rationalism in Politics (1962) and On Human Conduct (1975)
What two categories is Oakeshott useful for?
Society and the state.
What does Oakeshott suggest in terms of society?
Human imperfection- he suggests that society is unpredictable and humans are imperfect.
A ‘rationalist’ politicial leader is inclined to make decisions based on the ‘authority’ of his own reason.
This encourages the dngerous idea that the leader fully understands society and how it should be changed,
What does Oakeshott believe about the state?
Political thinking and action should be guided by pragmatism and practical experience to ensure public acceptance, maintain social stability and cohesion and respond flexibly to shifting circumstances.
What two sections is Rand useful for?
Human nature and the economy.
What are Rand’s two novels called?
The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957)
