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PP1 - UK Politics and Core > Conservatism > Flashcards

Conservatism Flashcards

1
Q

Summarise Hobbes argument

A
  • There should be total obedience to the state otherwise their will be chaos
  • Imagined a disastrous ‘state of nature’ where humans are equal and free from higher authority
  • Believed people should willingly enter a social contract with the state
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2
Q

Summarise Burke’s argument

A
  • Believes in empiricism - basing things on experience not abstract thought
  • Organicism - the idea that society is like a living thing and should naturally develop
  • Change should be cautious and gradual
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3
Q

Summarise Oakeshott’s argument

A
  • Believes in Pragmatism
  • Modern theories and principles will inevitably distort of simplify events because people make up rules which they think are universal
    -Parliament
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4
Q

Summarise Rand’s argument

A
  • Objectivism
  • Human knowledge is based on reason - the only thing that is absolute
  • It is morally right to pursue your own self-intrest, anything that prevents this is immoral and should be removed
    -‘non-aggression’ principle added on
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5
Q

Summarise Nozick’s argument

A
  • Human’s should be treated as things and should not be used against their will as a resource
  • That means you cant have taxation and welfare
  • His ideas were, to some extent, liked by Reagan and Thatcher
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6
Q

What is pragmatism

A

Rejecting theory and ideology in favour of practical experience. Making decisions on what worked best before

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7
Q

Quote by Burke about the need to for society to change

A

“Without the means of some change (it) is without the means of conservation”

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8
Q

What are the three areas of human perfection, what do they require?

A
  • Psychological - people are limited and dependant, they crave safety and familiarity. Therefore social order is needed
  • Moral - humans are selfish and greedy, crime is due to human nature. Therefore a strong system. of law and order is needed
  • Intellectual - Reasoning and memory cant make sense of the modern world, ideas and ideologies are therefore inaccurate. Therefore we need to draw in accumulated wisdom
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9
Q

If the Organic Society doesn’t happen what do you get?

A

Atomism

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10
Q

Explain the Organic society/state

A

You get security, belonging, stability and dependability, in return for carrying out your roles in society.

Society rests on this balance

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11
Q

What is paternalism?

A

Government is to be carried out by those who are best equipped to do it

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12
Q

Explain the two forms of paternalism

A
  • Soft; those under it give their consent
  • Hard; Imposed on people regardless of their consent
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13
Q

Which branch of conservatism was Disraeli the originator of?

A

One-Nation paternalistic Conservatism

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14
Q

Explain Disraeli’s ideas

A

The poorest in society rely on the wealthy to make their lives better. But this is actually based on self-intrest. The noblesse oblige felt by those who are wealthy is not out of goodness or moral values, but rather a way to prevent revolution and preserve their wealth.

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15
Q

Explain the key ideas of The New Right (Thatcher)

A
  • State control undermines free enterprise
  • Welfare programes promote dependency
  • The Free Market produces dynamic and efficient results
  • self-help and personal initiative are required.
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16
Q

When did Thatcher and Regan serve? How long was the overlap between their terms?

A
  • Thatcher 1978-1990
  • Reagan 1981-1989
    Therefore there was an 8 year overlap
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17
Q

Explain some Thatcherite policies

A
  • Inflation undermines economic confidence and activity, reducing government spending means there is less money around which therefore reduces inflation
  • Supply Side economics - making it easy to access goods and services
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18
Q

Explain Traditional Conservatism

A
  • People have different skills and talents
  • Hierarchy is natural not equal, therefore leadership falls to aristocracy
  • Order benefits us all
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19
Q

Explain One-Nation Conservatism

A
  • Capitalism creates inequality
  • The wealthy should help to improve the lives of the poor to preserve their own place in society
  • Mixed economy as there should be a degree of control to prevent inequalities
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20
Q

Explain the ideas of The New Right

A
  • A contradiction between Neo-Liberal and Neo-Conservative ideas
  • They would like ultimate economic freedom but a restrictive social attitude
21
Q

What is the name of the book written by Hobbes?

A

Leviathan 1651

22
Q

What is Hobbes’s view on Human imperfection?

A

Humans are easily led astray, they are needy and vulnerable. He believed that in a world without total obedience to the government humans would turn to violence

23
Q

What is Hobbes’ view on the state?

A

There should be total obedience to the state

24
Q

What is Hobbes’ view on freedoms?

A

The only right we should have is the right to defend ourselves against the state. A ‘Social contract’ should exist.

25
Q

What was Hobbs’ view on the econmy?

A

He didn’t delve into economic theory but his political theory emphasised the strong need for a strong, centralised authority to prevent chaos.

26
Q

What book did Burke write?

A

Reflections on the Revolutions in France - 1790

27
Q

What was Burke’s view on pragmatism?

A

He rejects ideology. He believes in empiricism and established notions, such as authority, tradition, hierarchy and property.

28
Q

What was Burke’s view on tradition?

A

Society’s natural leaders are the aristocracy as they have the ability, experience and inclination to lear the nation. He also believed in noblesse oblige.

29
Q

What was Burke’s view on human imperfection?

A

People are not equal. Humans are imperfect and can therefore only exhaust in an organic society. Human’s have the capability for evil, therefore their imperfections must be reigned in

30
Q

What was Burke’s view on the state?

A

Organic Society - the state is like a body, change should take place. However this should be cautious and glacial.

31
Q

What was Burke’s view on freedom?

A

The inate or hereditary abilities of the social elite give them the authority to make decisions on behalf of society. Those who are wealthy have an obligation to look out for those who are less fortunate.

32
Q

What was Burke’s view on the economy?

A

Burke was wary of rapid change and believed in the importance of tradition, including economic structures.

He emphasised the role of custom and precedent in guiding policy and continuity over change.

33
Q

Name some books written by Micheal Oakeshott

A

Rationalism in Politics 1962
On Human Conduct 1975

34
Q

What was Oakeshott’s view on pragmatism?

A

He loves pragmatism. He believes people wrongly create ‘rules’ which they think can be applied to all situations.

35
Q

What was Oakeshott’s view on tradition?

A

He likes tradition as it represents accumulated knowledge. Parliament is a great example because it has been adaptable and flexible but also stable and without revolution.

36
Q

What was Oakeshott’s view on human imperfection?

A

Humans are imperfect and get thins wrong. They think they understand things and act on their own authority not accumulated experience.

37
Q

What was Oakeshott’s view on the economy?

A

He emphasised the importance of tradition and skepticism towards schemes or ideologies including in the economic realm.

He advocated for a limited government in economic affairs, favouring a free market and individualism.

38
Q

Name some of Ayn Rand’s novels

A

Fountainhead 1943
Atlas Shrugged 1957

39
Q

What was Rand’s view on tradition?

A

She rejected perceived norms such as religion, which she believed crested artificial rules for a non-existant god.

40
Q

How do Rand’s views on freedom differ from earlier conservative thinkers?

A

She strongly believes in individual rights. Rand proposes the “Virtue of Selfishness” which suggests man should pursue his own self interest as a moral imperative. If everyone worked towards their own interests society would flourish.

41
Q

What did Rand add onto the ‘Virtue of Selfishness’?

A

The ‘non-aggression principle’ which states that the initiation of force is impermissible as a precondition of society.

42
Q

What was Rand’s view on the economy?

A

She had a Lassiez-Faire approach and believed in unregulated free markets. This will allow us to pursue rational self-intrest.

43
Q

Explain how Sears Roebuck used Rands’ ideas

A
  • Sears, Roebuck and Co., established in 1892 in Chicago, Illinois, was once a prosperous retailer in the USA.
  • CEO Eddie Lampert’s leadership, the company underwent a restructuring based on Ayn Rand’s ideas. - Divided into 30 separate entities, encouraged to pursue its own self-interest
  • Over the following decade, the number of stores decreased from 3,500 to 645
  • By January 2017, and the company amassed $4.2 billion in debt.
44
Q

Name one of Robert Nozick’s books

A

‘Anarchy, State & Utopia’ 1974

45
Q

Which philosopher are Nozick’s ideas based on? Explain these

A

Immanuel Kant

A moral rule should be unconditional and applicable to any rational being, regardless of who establishes it. This principle is known as the ‘First Categorical Imperative’; Only do things that you’d want everyone else to do too.

46
Q

What is Nozick’s view on freedoms?

A

Humans should not be treated as things. They should not be used against their will as resources.

He is very libertarian - legalisation or drugs etc.This is where he loses the support of Thatcher and Reagan

47
Q

What is Nozick’s view on the state?

A

It should be minimal - a ‘Night-Watchman’. Its only role is to protect the rights an individual has to self-ownership. They should prevent fraud, violence and theft and ensure that transactions are just.

48
Q

What is Nozick’s view on the economy and taxation?

A

Taxation and Welfare are unjust as they take the money you have earned against your will. You are used as a means to help the less fortunate for the common good.

He argued sagainst redistributive taxation and other forms of wealth reditibution.

PP1 - UK Politics and Core (7 decks)

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