Conservatism - key thinkers Flashcards
Thomas Hobbes
Key text ‘Leviathan’ 1651, inspired by English Civil War.
Very negative view of human nature: selfish, power hungry and fearful of others.
View on ‘original state of nature’ = ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”. A formal authority
therefore needed to resolve this natural chaos, one that would enforce a consistent code of what
was right and wrong.
Hobbes believed humans possessed a calculating rationality that would enable them to realise
the need for this autocratic state. Therefore Hobbes = authoritarian conservative.
The resulting contract would see individuals giving up a large amount of individual rights to an
all-powerful authority in return for peace and security and to be “saved from ourselves”.
Edmund Burke
Father of Conservatism.
In his book, defined various tenets of conservatism e.g. human imperfection, empiricism, etc.
Denounced the idealistic society that the French Revolution represented – utopian and
unrealistic.
Argued that change was necessary to conserve but should proceed on basis of fact and
experience – empiricism and tradition rather than theory and idealism. Change must be cautious
and organic.
Scathing about the French Revolution’s stress on equality – argued that within organic societies,
ruling society is inevitable and even desirable. However, this class had a paternalistic
responsibility and it was the French aristocracy failure to do this that led to the revolution.
Condemned the new French Republic for its highly centralised structures, praising instead a
society of little platoons.
Micheal Oakeshott
Traditional conservative.
More optimistic about human nature and imperfection. “Philosophy of imperfection” need not
be a “philosophy of pessimism.”
Most humans were “fallible but not terrible”, “imperfect but not immoral”.
Though incapable of perfect societies, humanity still able to secure pleasure and improvement
through the business of everyday life.
Affirmed the merits of an empirical and pragmatic approach through experience and trial and
error. State existed to prevent the bad rather than create the good.
Famous nautical metaphor: “keep the ship afloat at all costs… not fixating on a port that may not
exist”.
Ayn Rand
New Right conservative.
Argued that talented individuals rather that ambitious governments lay at the heart of any
successful society.
Objectivism: all should be guided by self-interest and rational self-fulfilment – New Right’s
atomism – justification for laissez faire capitalism, renewal of negative liberty (e.g. tax cuts and
privatisation).
Defended individual’s right to choose, e.g. homosexuality and abortion.
Rejected anarchism – free markets and cultural laissez faire needed parameters of a small state.
Liberty impossible without order and security – only a state could provide this – ‘the small state
is a strong state’.
Robert Nozick
New Right.
Argued that growth of gov. was gravest threat to individual freedom and growth of welfare state fostered dependency culture.
Went beyond neoliberalism’s hostility to the state. Unlike Hayek, became closely identified with libertarianism – individual should be left alone in economic, social and cultural spheres.
Libertarianism is tolerant of liberal, permissive society – relaxed view of issues e.g. abortion, homosexuality and divorce.
He believed in a minarchist state involving privatisation.
Believed “tax for the most part is theft” – self-ownership.
Preservation of life, liberty and property needed formal authority enforcing laws.
Limited state would also allow communities to emerge alongside individual freedom – free to
practice their particular moral codes and values – similar to Burke’s little platoons.
