Conservatism - origins + human nature Flashcards
origins
Reaction to the politics of the Enlightenment 1685-1815.
The Whig Supremacy – liberal thinking. Any crititque of the Enlightenment seemed outdated and associated with defence of monarchism and divine right of kings.
By 1792, French Revolution saw horrific and shocking consequences. Public beheading of King Louis XVI and ‘the Terror’ – 1000s citizens persecuted and executed in the name of progress – genocidal violence.
This paved the way for conservatism warning of dangers of revolutionary change. Edmund Burke criticised the French Revolution and is considered the Father of Conservatism.
Human nature
Pessimistic view – stress human frailty and fallibility.
Believe human nature is fixed and constant and the job of politician is to accommodate, not alter
this reality.
Thomas Hobbes: human nature is ruthlessly selfish, calculating and competitive. Without formal
authority there would be life of hatred and war.
Edmund Burke: more optimistic than Hobbes as believed that humans were capable of kindness,
altruism and wisdom as long as actions were rooted in history, tradition and teachings of the Christian Church. Humans are naturally communal and find comfort in small communities – ‘little platoons’.
Michael Oakeshott believed humans were fragile and fallible but also benign and benevolent. Framed by routine, familiarity and religious principles.
Robert Nozick and Ayn Rand: stressed human nature’s yearning for individual freedom and subsequent capacity for enterprise and innovation, driven by self-interest. Must be contained in order to provide order and stability.
