Conservatism Key Thinkers Flashcards
Thomas Hobbes - human nature
Traditional conservatism
Argued in the absence of a strong state, human life would inevitably fall into a state of constant conflict and competition for resources and power. It would be “nasty, brutish and short”
Humans are RUTHLESS
Thomas Hobbes - state
A strong state is necessary in order to prevent the chaos and conflict in the state of nature.
Necessary for individuals to give up some of their individual rights to sovereign authority, so that it can provide order and security.
Hobbes emphasised orders security and the role of the state in achieving these.
Edmund Burke - tradition and empiricism
Traditional conservatism ‘father of conservatism’
Burke strongly supported listening and learning from tradition. - tradition is accumulated wisdom of past societies.
“Society is a contract….. it becomes a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born”
Edmund Burke - change
- favoured organic, gradual developments instead of abrupt radical shifts.
Set out importance of “changing to conserve”
Not adapting to the times and refusing to change at all would simply increase the chances of a revolution.
Edmund Burke - human imperfection, localism and little platoons
- his Christian belief led to him arguing that human nature was imperfect
As a result Burke emphasised the need for moral guidance and structure in society, provided by long established institutions such as the Church and monarchy. - advocated localism and what he called “little platoons” of society (smaller communities and associations). From this people learn values of mutual support, responsibility and tradition.
Benjamin Disraeli - One-nation conservatism (NOT A KEY THINKER)
Conservative PM - key figure in emergence of one-nation conservatism
Supported paternalism/ noblesse oblige
Emphasised patriotism and the idea of a cohesive society. Believed in emphasising national unity.
Michael Oakeshott
Traditional conservatism
Oakeshott’s conservatism was anchored in the principle of pragmatism.
Human being are inherently limited in their knowledge and capacity to design perfect systems.
NOT as pessimistic about human nature as Hobbes and belied that these imperfections can be mitigated through the influence of tradition and proper guidance.
Described human nature as “noisy, foolish and flawed”
Ayn Rand - objectivism
The new right
Rand argued that pursuing one’s own happiness and rational self-interest is the highest moral pursuit, a viewpoint that fundamentally opposed the notion of self-sacrifice for collective goals. Believed people were rational.
Ayn Rand - freedom and laissez-faire capitalism
- Rand’s strong support for freedom and laissez-faire capitalism is deeply rooted in her objectivism.
- laissez-faire capitalism, as an economic system where the governments role is strictly limited to protecting individual rights, is the only system that fully respects and protects the freedom of the individual.
Robert Nozick - Libertarianism
The New Right
Strongly supported libertarianism - individuals should never be treated merely as means to an end, but always as ends in themselves.
This led him to champion laissez-faire capitalism and a minimal state that was limited to the narrow functions of protecting individuals from force, theft, and fraud, and enforcing contracts.
Robert Nozick - self-ownership
Support for the idea of self-ownership asserts that individuals have sovereignty over their bodies and the fruits of their labour.
Respecting self-ownership means that any exchange or transfer of property must be voluntary, based on free consent, and any coercion or redistribution by the state fundamentally infringes upon this basic human right.
