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Ideologies > Conservatism > Flashcards

Conservatism Flashcards

1
Q

Hierachy

A

Equality of status and power is undesirable, and that human affairs require leadership from a small number of individuals

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2
Q

Authority

A

Idea that people in higher positions in society are best able to make decisions in the interests of the whole society

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3
Q

Change to conserve

A

Belief that society must be continuously updated and maintained if it is to be preserved

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4
Q

Egotistical individualism

A

Idea that society is made up of self-interested and self-sufficient individuals

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5
Q

Noblesse oblige / paternalism

A

Belief that it is the duty of the wealthy and privileged to look after those less fortunate

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6
Q

Anti-permissiveness

A

Rejection of a society with few moral or legal codes of behaviour, where social norms become increasingly liberal

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7
Q

Human imperfection

A

Belief that humans are flawed and thus are incapable of making good decisions for themselves, making any quest for the ‘perfect’ society misguided - link to empiricism

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8
Q

Laissez-faire

A

Minimal government intervention in business and the state

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9
Q

Empiricism

A

The idea that knowledge comes from real experience and not from abstract theories

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10
Q

Pragmatism

A

Flexible approach to society with decisions made on the basis of what works

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11
Q

Tradition

A

Accumulated wisdom of past societies and a connection between the generation

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12
Q

Libertarianism

A

Upholds liberty, seeking to maximise personal autonomy, mainly in the economy
(New Right)

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13
Q

Conservative view of human nature

A

Flawed, so there is a need for law and order
Fixed and constant, with society having to accommodate not alter this reality
Favour strong legal frameworks to protect humans from one another
See human nature leading people to familiar patterns of life, as opposed to the new and novel

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14
Q

Conservative view of the state

A

Needed to provide law and order and defence

Acts as a unifying force to promote national cohesion and unity

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15
Q

Conservative view of society

A

A collection of localised communities, providing individuals with security and acting as a brake upon individual selfishness
Emerges gradually and organically
Societal issues dealt with in a practical and pragmatic way
Rests heavily upon tradition
Hierarchy / authority - noblesse oblige / paternalism
Judeo-Christian morality

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16
Q

Conservative view of the economy

A

Free market and individual enterprise (economic inequality) vs risk and volatility
Traditional conservatives - moderated form of government with government intervention - protectionism (tariffs)
New Right - Favour free market capitalism as it promotes individual liberty

17
Q

Thomas Hobbes

Leviathan - 1651

A

Human nature - selfish and rational (shaped by the English Civil War) Needy and vulnerable, therefore likely to commit destructive acts
The state - Belief in a social contract. Must have absolute power (autocratic) and is crucial to preventing social breakdown, leading to prioritisation of law and order above all else
Society - Only exists if the state has delivered order and authority
The economy - Positive economic activity is impossible without a state guaranteeing order and security
In the Hobbesian state of nature, individuals were governed by ruthless self-interest, with human nature shaped by a desire for the acquisition of goods - ‘nasty, brutish and short’

18
Q

Ayn Rand

Atlas Shrugged - 1957

A

Human nature - ‘Objectivist’ - humans guided by rational self-interest
The state - Should be limited, confined to policing, to provide order and security for liberty - Negative liberty
Society - Atomistic - the sum total of its individuals
The economy - Pro free market capitalism
Libertarian - Defended an individual’s right to choose - homosexuality / abortion

19
Q

Michael Oakeshott

On Being Conservative - 1962

A

Human nature - Humanity best when focused on the routines of everyday life, and free from grand designs
Fallible, but not terrible
The state - Should be guided by tradition (pragmatism)
Society - Localised communities essential
The economy - Free markets require pragmatic moderation by the state due to volatile nature
Positive - Claimed conservatives have a greater appreciation of the pleasures that already exist in life

20
Q

Tensions within Conservatism over human nature

A

Traditional - Take a more negative view of human nature (Hobbes) than New Right thinkers
Egotistical individualism is bad vs it is good

21
Q

Tensions within Conservatism over society

A

Traditional -See society as a collection of small communities overseen by a hierarchal structure which paternalistic elites exercise power over
New Right - ambivalent about society’s existence, and is rather a collection of individuals seeking self-determination

22
Q

Tensions within Conservatism over the state

A

Traditional - Defend a state where political power is wielded by a ruling class, and are prepared to enlarge it in order to preserve social stability
New Right - Wish to roll back the state, in order to advance individual freedom

23
Q

Tensions within Conservatism over the economy

A

Traditional - Sceptical about free-market capitalism, fearful that it exacerbates inequality and erodes national culture
New Right - Advocate free-market economics, including privatisation, deregulation, and low levels of taxation and state spending (link to NR desire for small government)

24
Q

Features of a Conservative society

A 
Localism 
Organicism 
Empiricism
Tradition
Hierarchy 
Judeo - Christian morality
Property
25
Q

Features of a Conservative state

A

Authority - Main goal of the state is to provide order and security, which it does through its authority
Organicism - link to pro uncodified constitution
Ruling class - Averts social upheaval and revolution

26
Q

Features of a Conservative economy

A

Defends inequality and hierarchy

Capitalist, but tensions regarding risk of free markets

27
Q

New Right conservatism

A

Mixture of neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism
Want to extend individual liberty by ‘rolling back the frontiers of the state’ in order to create a free market economy, promoting freedom, economic growth and a prosperous society
Want to restore authority, national identity and a society informed by Judeo-Christian morality

28
Q

Contradictions of New Right conservatism

A

Negative v Positive liberty - Thatcher privatisation and income tax cuts vs restrictions on trade unions and extension of police powers
Immigration - Rand v Thatcher
Size of the state - Nozick v Thatcher

29
Q

Pro Brexit was a ‘conservative moment’

A

EU anti nation state
Restored national identity - control of immigration
EU is a contrived system of government, not organic
EU represented a big government

30
Q

Anti Brexit was a ‘conservative moment’

A

Leaving the EU was a risk
Rejecting Cameron’s deal was a rejection on gradual, incremental change
Tied to a faith in global, laissez-faire capitalism

31
Q

Pro conservatism as a ‘ruling-class ideology’

A 
Defend property, privilege and inequality
Tradition and gradual change prevents radical change, which threatens ruling-class interests
32
Q

Anti conservatism as a ‘ruling-class ideology’

A

Prime purpose of the conservative state (maintenance of order) appeals to all sections of society
Traditional conservatism promotes the interests of the poor
Conservatism’s wish to avoid revolution is altruistic - society’s most vulnerable suffer most during periods of revolution
New Right conservatism is meritocratic not aristocratic

33
Q

Pro conservatism is compatible with capitlaism

A

Capitalism based on private property, which conservatives support
Capitalism generates inequality, which conservatives defend as ‘natural’ and ‘organic’
Capitalism has been at the heart of economic activity for centuries, and therefore squares with conservatism’s support for tradition
Capitalism provides the ruling class with wealth that can then be used for paternalistic support

34
Q

Anti conservatism is compatible with capitalism

A

Capitalism is described as economic liberalism, focussing on individuals rather than the communities that conservatism champions
Capitalism is dynamic and volatile, threatening the stability and continuity that conservatives crave
Capitalism tends towards globalisation, undermining the national identity that conservatives value
Capitalism promotes a meritocracy that challenges hereditary ruling classes

35
Q

Pro conservatism can be reconciled with liberalism

A

Both support private property and capitalism
Both see inequality of outcome as a sign of liberty
Both deny the inevitability of class conflict
Neo-liberals and New Right conservatives support a laissez-faire economy

36
Q

Anti conservatism can be reconciled with liberalism

A

Liberals have an optimistic view of human nature, whereas conservatives are sceptical of it
Liberals see rationalism as central to human behaviour, whereas conservatives stress habit, emotion and expression
Liberals prioritise individual liberation, whereas conservatives stress order and restraint
Liberals see individuals as potentially autonomous, whereas conservatives see individuals as communal
Liberals extol free-market capitalism, whereas traditional conservatives are more sceptical and protectionist

37
Q

Pro conservatism can be reconciled with socialism

A

Traditional conservatives and socialists play down the importance of individualism
Traditional conservatives and socialists stress the importance of communities and the importance of unity within them
Traditional conservatives and socialists see capitalism as potentially problematic

38
Q

Anti conservatism can be reconciled with socialism

A

Conservatives see inequality as natural, whereas socialists see it as unacceptable
Conservatives are sceptical of progress, whereas socialists see it as essential
Conservatives defend private property, whereas fundamentalist socialists favour common ownership
Conservatives reject revolution, whereas some fundamentalist socialists see it as desirable and inevitable
Traditional conservatives advocate noblesse oblige / paternalism, whereas socialists think paternalism is patronising

Ideologies (4 decks)

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