Conservatism Flashcards
What are the main strands of conservatism?
-Traditional
-One-nation
-New Right (compromise of NL + NC)
Who are the key thinkers?
Hobbes, Burke, Oakeshott = TC
Disraeli + Macmillan = one-nation
Rand + Nozick = neo-liberalism
What are the core ideas and principles?
Human imperfection
Organic society/state
Pragmatism
Tradition
Paternalism
Libertarianism
What are the 3 categories of humah perfection for traditional conservatism?
-Morally imperfect
-Intellectually imperfect
-Psychologically imperfect
What does Hobbes argue about human imperfection?
What does he argue it in?
-Humans are imperfect and ruthlessly self-interested.
-Human imperfection cannot be avoided.
-Humans desire power and material gratification.
-Distrustful of others.
Leviathan 1651
What does Hobbes believe is the ‘state of nature’?
-Our species natural state, before the existence of the State.
-Place of violent anarchy.
-A violent, fearful place where humans are in constant conflict as they pursue their selfish desires.
Does Hobbes argue humans are wholly irrational?
-No.
-They would recognise the state of nature as hell on earth and realise they needed protection from themselves.
-They would seek a social contract.
What does Burke argue about human imperfection?
-Agreed with Hobbes that they’re imperfect but disagreed with the extent.
-They’re not ruthlessly individualistic, but instead naturally communal as their imperfection compels them to band together in supportive communities.
-Humans are capable of making mistakes, more likely to fail than succeed.
-Change should be cautiously and empirically observed.
What did Oakeshott argue about human imperfection?
-Humans are fragile and fallible but capable of benevolence.
-Society is organic and its customs/traditions provide comfort and happiness.
-Argues for decision making grounded in empiricism, not rationalism.
-Led him to argue for ‘politics of skepticism’ - skeptical of change/abstract ideas, argues rationalists underestimate complexity of society.
What do conservatives believe about society/state?
-Organic society - not created, emerges and grows.
-Inidividual rights are dependent upon law and order, only the state has the power to give them a practical meaning.
-Hobbes social contract.
What does Hobbes believe about society?
-Absolute monarchy - sovereign controls society and economy.
-Once the state provides the necessary order, society will emerge organically into a complicated organism of customs and traditions.
What do TCs Burke and Oakeshott, ONCs and neo-conservatives believe about the state?
-Limited powers of the monarch.
-Parliamentary sovereignty and representative government.
-‘Change to conserve’ - Burke.
What was Burke’s ‘change to conserve’?
-Past is to be revered and ancient institutions not tampered with.
-If there are defects/abuses which harm organic society, they must be removed.
-Inaction can damage organic society - Burke ‘a state without the means of some change is without the means of conservatism’.
What do conservatives believe about unequal society?
-Inequality is natural, organic society is heirarchal.
-Individuals are of unequal talent/ability.
What do the 3 TCs believe about unequal society?
Hobbes - society to be ruled by absolute monarch governing a ‘commonwealth’ arranged by rank and influence.
Burke - aristocracy should lead as they are wiser and stronger.
Oakshott - champions tradition and defends established institutions such as HoL or Electoral College.
What is noblesse oblige?
-Paternalism.
-The belief that privelage entails a moral responsibility to help those below.
What is pragmatism?
-Core value of conservatism.
-Informed by empiricism.
-Deep distrust of abstract theories favoured by liberalism/socialism.
What did Burke’s ‘change to conserve’ inspire?
Conservative PM Peel’s ‘Tamworth Manifesto 1834 which argued conservatism must be pragmatic, not reactionary. Led to Great Reform Act 1832, gave MC men vote.
Conservative PM Disraeli’s Artisan Dwellings Act 1875 - slum clearance.
How do conservatives view tradition?
-The accumulated wisdom of the past that underpins society.
-Religion perhaps the most important - binds society together and avoids turn towards rationalistic ideas.
What did Burke believe about tradition?
-Embody continuity, advance peacefulness.
-Tradition should govern, not abstract thought.
-Allow individuals to feel belonging, thereby encouraging loyalty and preventing social disorder.
What are conservative beliefs about paternalism?
-Ruling class has a noblesse oblige relationship with other classes.
-Pragmatic - prevents the state from faling to counter societal problems that emerge as a result of too much inequality, thereby ensuring order.
What did ONC encourage with regards to paternalism post WW2?
-Increased intervention in society and economy.
-Shown in PM Harold Macmillan’s gov combining state ownership and private enterprise (mixed economy).
What do neo-conservatives believe about paternalism?
-Paternalistic welfarism of post-war period is dependent on state.
-Acknowledges role of the state to intervene but wishes to narrow the parameters and scale of its assistance.
What is libertarianism?
-Emphasises negative freedom.
-Advocated minimal state intervention.
-Inherent in traditional conservatism.
Who are libertarians?
-Neo-liberals.
-Believe in an atomistic society made up of self-interested and self-sufficient individuals,.
-Rand and Nozick.
What do neoliberals believe about society/state?
-Exists as a loose collection of independent beings.
-Challenge traditional C heirarchies and legitimacy of the state.
-Society is atomistic and should be organised on meritocractic terms.
-Minimal state, simply a ‘nightwatchman’ to protect from criminals.
What do neoliberals believe about human nature/freedom?
-Reject pessimistic human imperfection, argue people are able to order their livs on moral/logical basis.
-Egotistical individualism - rights of individual over state.
-Paternalism of noblesse oblige restricts individuals’ development as it limits choice.
What do NLs believe about the SIZE of the state?
-State enroaches the lives of citizens and welfarism creates a dependency culture.
-Rand and Nozick argue the state is a threat to individual freedom.
Nozick = individual should be left alone in economic, social and cultural spheres.
Rand = placed individuals right to choose as paramount e.g. abortion, homosexuality.
How to NLs want to reduce state power?
-Nozick = ‘tax for the most part is theft from the individual’.
-Massive reduction in tax and state spending.
-Radical deregulation and privatisation of services.
-Curtail bodies like TUs.
What are the three aspects of traditional conservatism?
-Reactionary
-Non-reactionary
-Natural disposition
What is reactionary TC?
-Partially influenced by Hobbes.
-Believes in a feudal hierarchic order of society.
-Defensive ideology resisting the decline of aristocratic rule.
Declined along with aristocratic rule.
What is non-reactionary TC?
-Burke
-Aim to defend C principles of heirarchy, empiricism, tradition and authority that had been undermined by ideas of Enlightenment.
-Capable of change but only after careful consideration.
What is natural disposition TC?
-Oakshott
-Focuses on psychological and intellectual aspects of human imperfection in describing C.
-Preffered trusted methods of institutions and traditions over change.
-Human’s inability to comprehend reality means that any abstract thought, divorced from experience, will be flawed.
-Less optimistic than change to conserve, more against change.
What were ideas of early one-nation conservatism?
-Disraeli
-Offered a from of nationalism based on organic conservatism - rich and poor part of ‘the nation’.
-Noblesse oblige responsibility of rich.
-Influenced by Burke’s ‘change to conserve’.
E.g. Representation of the People Act - enfranchised male WC.
What were ideas of later one-nation conservatism?
-Paternal ideas of Burke and Disraeli.
Commonly associated with Macmillan under Churchill.
Macmillan oversaw building of 300,000 houses/year after WW2, hoped to create ‘property-owning’ democracy.
What were the ideas of later one-nation/Macmillan?
Overall difference between earlier and later ONC?
-Preserving society of paramount improtance.
-Rejected empiricism, chose Keynesian economics.
-Life Peerage Act 1958 showed break with tradition.
-Oakshott disapproved.
-Embraces social liberalism, contrasting with TC.
Disraeli = empirically based, cautious change, limited state interference in society, laissez-faire economics.
Macmillan = rationalistic, more proactive role of state, Keynesian economics.
What are ideas of New Right Conservatism?
-Marriage of NL and NC.
-Enthusiasm for free markets, hostility for Keynesian state planning.
Reagan + Thatcher
What are the main ideas of neo-liberalism?
-Inspired by classical liberalism.
-Society as atomistic.
-Positiveview of human nature, capable of rational thought.
-Principally concerned with atomistic individualism and free-market economics.
What are neo-liberal ideas of atomistic individualism?
-Reject view that state has legitimacy to interfere in scociety via social contract/noblesse oblige - it subverts freedom.
-Nozick argued for self-ownership - individuals retain their bodies, talents, abilities, labour.
-Percieve duties and obligations of organic society as a threat to freedom - Rand and Nozick emphasise importance of obligations to self rather than society.
-Miniaturist government - primary purpose is to potect rights (Nozick).
What does Rand argue about atomistic individualism?
-Organic society blunts development of individual as their thinking is absorbed into the dominant beliefs of society.
-Heroes of history are those who can break harmful groupthink and retain a capability for original rational thought.
What are Rand’s key beliefs?
-‘Objectivism’ - truth isn’t found in collective beliefs of society but instead in scientific fact, rejects traditions of Burke and Oakshott.
-Praises egoism and the ‘virtue of selfishness’ - morally right to pursue individual dreams rather than those determined by society.
-Wrong for society to demand compromise of individual values for those of the state.
-State-sponsored welfare makes people dependent, restricting atomistic individualism.
What do neoliberals argue about free market economics?
-Only free-market can properly allocate resources, state is ill-equipped to intervene in economy.
-Keynesian economics reduces economic activity.
-Role of gov should be limited to controlling inflation through monetism.
-Inidividuals should rise and fall on their own abilities.
-Thatcher influnced - privatised gas, electricity, waterand telecoms + sanctioned closure of state-owned mines, injected market forces into NHS and education.
What are key ideas of Neo-conservatism?
-Influenced by traditional conservatism.
-Maintaining society from social fragmentation.
-Upholding public morality and authoritarian law and order.
-Increase state involvement to preserve individual liberty.
What are ideas of neo-conservatism thats stem from their fear of social fragmentation?
-Free market doesn’t provide a set of values on which to base a society.
-Value organic society and fundamentally reject non-liberal vision of atomistic individualism as it undermines core societal values.
-Welfare reforms of post-WW2 created dependency culture.
-Dismiss NL ideas of dismantling welfare state as impractical and against paternalism.
-Promote traditional family structures via taxation and means-tested benefits e.g. Welfare Refore Act 2012 aimed to ween benefit claimants off state reliance by incentivising them to work.
What are NC ideas derived from their belief in public morality and law and order?
-Reject atomistic individualism as it leads to rejection of communal customs and values.
-Society must be protected from both internal and external forces - aggressive foreign policy and military intervention e.g. Blair and Bush.
-See freedom of choice over abortion and homosexuality etc as morally wrong.
What made the New Right an uneasy marriage?
Nozick and Rand’s ideas contradict many traditional aspects of C:
-Percieve society as atomistic, not organic.
-Believe organic society infringes individual liberty.
-NLs wish to reduce state whilst NCs wish to expand it in areas for stability.
-Nozick’s ideas of individual freedom led him to advocate for legalisation of hard drugs and prostitution, contravening long-standing C traditions.
Define the New Right
A marriage of political convenience between NLs and NCs, focusing on the efficiency of the free market and a loathing of the collectivist ‘big state’ ideas inherent in ML and socialism.
