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Political Ideologies A2 > Conservatism > Flashcards

Conservatism Flashcards

1
Q

What are the core tenets of Traditional Conservatism?

A
  • Human Imperfection
  • Organic Society
  • Tradition + Change
  • Hierarchy and Authority
  • Opposition to Ideology/Theory
  • Property
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2
Q

What are the three different aspects of Traditional Conservative belief in Human imperfection?

A
  • Psychological Imperfection
  • Intellectual Imperfection
  • Moral Imperfection
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3
Q

Explain the Traditional Conservative belief of Psychological Imperfection

A

People are naturally security seeking and fearful, and so do not like change. Justification for belief in authority and tradition

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4
Q

Explain the Traditional Conservative belief of Intellectual Imperfection

A

Humans have a limited capacity for reason. Provides reasons for opposition to ideology and support for tradition

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5
Q

Explain the Traditional Conservative belief of Moral Imperfection

A

People are not naturally good. Crime is the fault of bad individuals and so tough punishment is justfied

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6
Q

Explain the Organic Theory for Traditional Conservatives

A
  • Whole > Sum of Parts. State Favoured over Individual
  • Necessary Hierarchy and Inequality. Natural Structure
  • Fashioned due to necessity (Imperfection)
  • No Radical Change (Not like a machine, parts cannot be swapped out)
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7
Q

Explain the Traditional Conservative Belief in Tradition

A
  • Humans are intellectually imperfect so the accumulated wisdom of past generations is superior to new thoughts and ideas.
  • Tradition strengthens social cohesion and provides a sense of security
  • If it isn’t broken dont fix it
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8
Q

Explain the Traditional Conservative opposition to change

A
  • Humans are psychologically imperfect and are security seeking so change scares them and the security of tradition appeals to them
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9
Q

In what scenarios will Traditional Conservatives accept change?

A

When it has been proven that something doesn’t work, or if small change can be done to prevent larger change

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10
Q

What are examples of traditional conservatives accepting change to prevent even more change?-

A
  • Accepting the welfare state to stop demands for more socialist ideas
  • Accepting House of Lords reform to prevent abolition
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11
Q

Explain the Traditional Conservative belief in Hierarchy and Authority

A
  • Link to Organic Society. Some aspects of an organism are naturally more important. Hierarchy is necessary.
  • Noblesse Oblige/Paternalism; the upper class are responsible for the lower classes
  • Order and Stability is more important than Equality and Freedom
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12
Q

Explain the Traditional Conservative disagreement with ‘Ideology’ and Abstract Theory

A
  • Humans are intellectually imperfect with limited reason. Anything they come up with can’t work better than traditions
  • Conservatism doesn’t see itself as an ideology because it is based on experience, not theory.
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13
Q

What is the traditional conservative definition of an ideology?

A

-A rigid abstract theory made by intellectually imperfect people.

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14
Q

Why might Traditional Conservatism be an ideology by its own definition?

A
  • It does have identifiable doctrines, such as all the core tenets.
  • It is an ideology by marxists too because its ideas about property reflect the views of the ruling class
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15
Q

What did Pre-Disraeli Conservatives think of Property?

A

Didn’t like private property because they fear it will be used to overthrow traditional political authority

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16
Q

What is the post-Disraeli Traditional Conservative view of Property?

A
  • Accepts need for representing the rights and interests of property owners.
  • Property acts as social cohesion; everyone has a ‘stake’ in the well-being of society
17
Q

Why did the traditional conservative view of property change?

A

Opposition to the growing popularity of socialism in working class. Change in order to conserve.

18
Q

What is the link between Human Imperfection and Organic Society in Traditional Conservatism?

A

Organic society develops due to human imperfection as people could not survive outside of a society

19
Q

What is the link between human imperfection and tradition/change in Traditional Conservatism?

A
  • Psych Imperfection means people are security seeking and tradition is safe.
  • Intel Imperfection means tradition is better than ‘reason’ driving change
20
Q

What is the link between human imperfection and Hierarchy/Authority in Traditional Conservatism?

A

-Authority is good for society because the alternative would be chaotic and people prefer to feel secure (psych imperfection)

21
Q

What is the link between human imperfection and ideology/theory in Traditional Conservatism?

A

-Intel imperfection means any abstract theory or reasoning will be worse than tried and tested methods.

22
Q

What is the link between human imperfection and Property in Traditional Conservatism?

A

-Psych imperfection, enjoy stability of society, had to accept property in order to stop socialism developing and changing society, making it chaotic and unfamiliar

23
Q

What is the link between Organic Society and Hierarchy/Authority in Traditional Conservatism?

A

Different parts of an organic society have different roles with different importance, so necessarily unequal, but complementary and harmonious

24
Q

What is the link between Organic Society and Property in Traditional Conservatism?

A

Owning property gives you a stake in society, so you have a vested interest in its well being, improving social cohesion and harmony in society

25
Q

What are the two components of new right conservatism?

A
  • Neoliberalism

- Neoconservatism

26
Q

Traditional Conservatives believe in the Organic Society theory of the state. What do New Right Conservatives believe in?

A
  • Mechanistic Theory of the State; the individual is the most important, not the state
  • State should not be involved in the economy, because public sector is less efficient and leads to market failure
27
Q

What do New Right Conservatives think about Human Nature/Human Imperfection?

A
  • Adoption of belief in Rationalism from Liberalism. (Rejection of Intell Imperfection)
  • Humans are naturally selfish and competitive
28
Q

What do New Right Conservatives think about Tradition/Change?

A
  • No desire to conserve tradition, apart from ‘Victorian age of free market’
  • Positive desire for change due to belief in rationality
29
Q

What do New Right Conservatives think about Theory/Ideology?

A

Positive view of ideology due to belief in rationality

30
Q

What do New Right Conservatives think about Property

A
  • Property is a central doctrine. People have the right to accrue wealth.
  • Disagree with tax because 1. Govt is bad, and 2. it infringes on individual right to accrue wealth
31
Q

What do New Right Conservatives think about Welfare/Paternalism?

A

They stress the right of individuals to succeed or fail in the free market without help or hindrance from other entities like the government. No Welfare.

32
Q

What do New Right Conservatives believe about the structure of society?

A
  • Individuals are more important than society as a whole.
  • Rejects class but accepts MERITOCRATIC hierarchy with upward mobility
  • Inequality of outcome due to belief in negative freedom
33
Q

What is Neoliberalism?

A

The Economic side of New Right Conservatism that focuses on freedom and minimal state.

34
Q

What is Neoconservatism?

A

The Social side of New Right Conservatism that focuses on social cohesion and authority

35
Q

What is the justification in the New Right for no state in the economy but state in the society?

A
  • Human imperfection, groups are more rational.
  • Governments are more capable of making decisions than individuals
  • But the wider free market is more capable of making decisions than government
36
Q

In what ways are the New Right internally incoherent?

A
  • Different views of Human Nature
  • Radical vs. Reactionary
  • Rigid Class System vs. Equality of Opportunity (Organic/Mechanistic)
  • Strong state in society but no state in economy
37
Q

How could it be argued that both Neoliberalism and Neoconservatism are reactionary?

A

Neoliberalism is reacting against increased state involvement in the economy. Neoconservatism is reacting against permissive liberal social values.

38
Q

What is the link between Tradition and Neoliberal economics?

A

Neoliberalism is attempting to bring back a past ‘Victorian’ era of free market that worked in the past, before government intervention

Political Ideologies A2 (6 decks)

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