Conservatism key thinkers

Question 1

Thomas Hobbs human nature

Answer 1

Cynical: Individuals are selfish, driven by a restless and ruthless desire for supremacy and security.

Question 2

Thomas Hobbs the state

Answer 2

The state arises contractually from individuals who seek order and security. To serve its purpose, the state must be autocratic and awesome.

Question 3

Thomas Hobbs society

Answer 3

There can be no ‘society’ until the creation of a state brings order and authority to human affairs. Life until then is ‘nasty, brutish and short’

Question 4

Thomas Hobbs the economy

Answer 4

Constructive and enduring economic activity is impossible without a state guaranteeing order and security

Question 5

Edmund Burke human nature

Answer 5

Sceptical: the ‘crooked timber of humanity is marked by a gap between aspiration and achievement. We may conceive of perfection but we are unable to achieve it.

Question 6

Edmund Burke the state

Answer 6

The state arises organically and should be aristocratic, driven by a hereditary elite, reared to rule in the interests of all

Question 7

Edmund Burke society

Answer 7

Society is organic and multi-faceted, comprising a host of small communities and organisations (little platoons)

Question 8

Edmund Burke the economy

Answer 8

Trade should involve ‘organic’ free markets and laissez-faire capitalism

Question 9

Michael Oakshott human nature

Answer 9

Modest: humanity is at its best when free from grand designs and when focused on the routines of everyday life.

Question 10

Michael Oakshott the state

Answer 10

The state should be guided by tradition and practical concerns. Pragmatism, not dogmatism, should be its watchword

Question 11

Michael Oakshott society

Answer 11

Localised communities are essential to humanity’s survival especially when guided by short-term requirements rather than abstract ideas

Question 12

Michael Oakshott the economy

Answer 12

Free markets are volatile and unpredictable and may require pragmatic moderation by the state

Question 13

Ayn Rand’s human nature

Answer 13

‘Objectivist’: we are- and ought to be guided by rational self-interest and the pursuit of self-fulfilment

Question 14

Ayn Rand the state

Answer 14

The state should confine itself to law, order and national security. Any attempt to promote ‘positive liberty’ via further state intervention, should be resisted

Question 15

Ayn Rand society

Answer 15

In so far as it exists at all, society is atomistic: the mere sum total of its individuals. Any attempt to restrict individuals in the name of society should be challenged

Question 16

Ayn Rand the economy

Answer 16

Free-market capitalism is an expression of ‘objectivist’ individualism and should not be hindered by the state

Question 17

Robert Nozick human nature

Answer 17

Egotistical: individuals are driven by a quest for ‘self-ownership’, allowing them to realise their full potential

Question 18

Robert Nozick the state

Answer 18

The minarchist state should merely outsource, renew and reallocate contracts to private companies providing public services

Question 19

Robert Nozick society

Answer 19

Society should be geared to individual self-fulfilment. This may lead to a plethora of small, variable communities reflecting their member’s diverse tastes and philosophes

Question 20

Robert Nozick the economy

Answer 20

The minarchist state should detach itself from a privatised and deregulated economy, merely arbitrating disputes between private economic organisations