Conservatism Flashcards
Origins of conservatism
A response to the French Revolution which resulted in widespread death and chaos
What is ‘change to conserve’?
The idea that gradual changes to correct what may be flawed is better than a full revolution as tradition and history have accumulated wisdom over time
What is an organic society?
Society can be compared to a tree:
It develops and grows slowly but needs constant nurturing. It should not be uprooted and replaced.
Key work of Thomas Hobbes
Leviathan (1651)
What historical event was Hobbes critical of?
The English Civil War
How does Hobbes view human nature?
- Cynical view
- Humans are endlessly restless in their pursuit of power to fulfil their desires
- Humans are fearful of others as the ‘weakest has enough strength to kill the strongest’
What did Hobbes argue life would be like in the state of nature?
‘Nasty, brutish and short’
How does Hobbes see humans as rational?
He believes that humans will end up rising above the state of nature and submitting their individual power to a sovereign in order to protect themselves
How does Hobbes view the state?
- A sovereign with absolute power provides order and stability
- This sovereign should not be limited by other legal bodies or a constitution
Why do many not see Hobbes as a conservative?
- Sees humans as rational
- Sees humans as individuals working against each other instead of a society
Why do many not see conservatism as an ideology?
Oakeshott described as ‘more psychology than ideology’. Conservatives have few long-term goals and instead focus on protecting a set of values.
Features of traditional conservatism
- Hierarchy
- Paternalism
- Traditional values
- ‘Little platoons’
- Change to conserve
What are ‘little platoons’?
Society is a collection of little platoons (small groups) and not individuals. These communities have shared values and customs and provide stability to people.
What is empiricism?
Belief that politics should be based on what works instead of abstract ideology
Key work of Edmund Burke
Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790)
Why did Burke support the American Revolution?
It had the goal of protecting ancient rights and privileges of people which had been removed by the oppressive British government who taxed them without authority
How did Burke view human nature?
- Sceptical
- Saw individual as foolish but the species as wise
- Humans should not rely on rationalism but instead on culture and tradition
What was Burke’s ‘social contract’
The contract between the living and the dead to preserve and nurture traditions and customs
How did Burke view society?
- Critical of individualism, little platoons
- Organic society
- Hierarchy was natural
Features of one-nation conservatism
- Harnessing the threat of socialism
- Focus on the nation
- Change to conserve
- Paternalism
Key work of Michael Oakeshott
Rationalism in Politics and Other Essays (1962)
How did Oakeshott describe human nature?
Humans prefer ‘the familiar to the unknown, the actual to the impossible’
How did Oakeshott view human nature?
- Fragile and fallible
- The world is too complex for humans to understand
How did Oakeshott view society?
- Society should reject abstract and untried ideas and instead embrace their history and customs
- The idea of a perfect society is absurd
How did Oakeshott view the role of the state?
The government’s role is not to create a perfect society but instead to preserve public order
What do the New Right view the role of the state as?
- The state should be limited to allow everyone to act in their own self-interest
- However there should be a strong police force and army to protect property rights
What is anti-permissiveness?
A rejection of the idea that people should make their own moral choices. Neo-conservatives are anti-permissive and believe the state should enforce good morals on society.
How do neo-conservatives view society?
Anti-permissive, seeing the role of the state to promote traditional morals onto society
How do neo-liberals view society?
Permissive; the state should roll back its power to allow people to make their own choices
Key work of Ayn Rand
The Virtue of Selfishness (1964)
What is statism?
A system where the state has a large degree of control over social and economic affairs
What is objectivism?
Rand’s philosophy that rational individuals under capitalism will achieve happiness and progress by having maximum freedom
What is atomism?
The concept that society, if it exists, is a collection of individuals pursuing their own self interests; collective identities like class are meaningless
How did Rand view human nature?
- Objectivism
- ‘Man must exist for their own sake, not sacrificing himself to others’
How did Rand view society?
- Atomistic society
- Society doesn’t really exist, instead just individuals pursuing their own happiness
- Meritocratic
How did Rand view the economy?
- Free-market capitalism
- People should keep the value of their labour
How did Rand view the role of the state?
The state’s role is limited to being a ‘police officer’, protecting people from criminal activity
Key work of Robert Nozick
Anarchy, State and Utopia (1974)
How did Nozick view human nature?
- Optimistic
- Individuals have natural rights
- Individuals are the owners of their own minds and bodies
How did Nozick view the role of the state?
- Individuals should be free from any enforced obligations, economically or socially
- A minimalist state could be justified to protect people from threats to themselves or their propety
How did Nozick view the economy?
Any attempt at wealth redistribution is an assault on liberty; “taxation of earnings is on par with forced labour”
How did Nozick view society?
- Society is made up of independent individuals
- Voluntarily formed communities will establish with people who have shared values
How do one-nation conservatives view the economy?
Due to the principle of paternalism, the wealthy have an obligation to look after the poor
How did Burke view the state?
- The state is an organic aspect of society which gradually forms to meet human needs
- A ruling class is natural, however, they have an obligation to look after the poor
- Opposed to a large central state; emphasis on smaller communities
How do traditional conservatives view society?
- Paternalistic view
- Emphasis on tradition
- Judeo-Christian values
- Organic view
- Hierarchy
How do the New Right view society?
- Atomistic society
- Society should not have any limits on the individual
Where do conservatives agree in regards to the economy?
- Private property is important as it provides stability to people and society
- Capitalism is the most effective economic system and wealth inequality is a natural reflection of differences between individuals
How did Burke view the economy?
- Importance of property rights
- Free market with little government interference
- Paternalistic duty of higher classes to provide for lower classes
How have one-nation Conservatives viewed the economy?
- Mixed economy and some form of a welfare state
- This was to prevent the threat of the working classes resisting unregulated capitalism
3 conservative views on human nature
- Hobbes: cynical, humans fearful of others
- Oakeshott: humans are ‘fragile and fallible’, humans unable to create a perfect society
- Rand: objectivism, humans make rational choices
3 conservative views on the state
- Burke: the ruling class have a paternalistic duty towards the poor
- Oakeshott: the state should be guided by pragmatism
- Nozick: limited state, including that taxation for a welfare state was ‘forced labour’
3 conservative views on society
- Hobbes: order is needed to prevent society from being ‘brutish’
- Burke: organic society
- Rand: atomistic society
