CONSERVATISM THINKERS Flashcards
1
Q
Thomas Hobbes’ views on human nature
A
- cynical: individuals are selfish, driven by a restless and ruthless desire for supremacy and security
- sceptical of human nature: humans egotistical & when left to their own devices will commit atrocities on each other
- prior to the emergence of the state, there was no co-operation or voluntary arrangements between individuals: ‘natural chaos’
- human nature shaped by a restless desire for the acquisition of goods, distrust of others & fear of violent death: “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”
- e.g. strong law enforcement & criminal justice policies: Criminal Justice Act 2003 - implementation of tough measures to deter crime & ensuring swift/severe punishment for offenders, aligning with his belief in a powerful authority to maintain order & protect citizens from harm
2
Q
Thomas Hobbes’ views on the state
A
- state needs to be autocratic & authoritative (anti-democratic): should be intimidating & feared in order to be obeyed
- social contract: humans are rational so would enter a contract with the state where individuals would render to a ‘sovereign’ the right to make laws which restrained everyone & allow the order & security that were absent in the state of nature
- state power must be concentrated: the principal reason for the state was creation of order/security - no state = anarchy & ‘natural chaos’
- e.g. authoritarianism: policies that grant the government exceptional powers during emergencies e.g. Patriot Act 2001 after 9/11, which expanded the government’s surveillance and law enforcement powers
3
Q
Thomas Hobbes’ views on society
A
- because of our flawed human nature society cannot exist without there being a state
- social contract: individuals rendering the right to make laws to a sovereign to allow for order/security will eventually lead to a ‘society’ where individuals could enjoy security & progress
- e.g. mandatory taxation to fund public goods and services: income tax & council tax shows individuals surrendering freedoms to a governing authority for protection/stability so they can enjoy security & progress
4
Q
Thomas Hobbes’ views on the economy
A
- for the economy to function effectively a strong state is needed: the economy requires order that a strong state would provide
- He defines economic activity as the “rationalization of selfishness”: every man is driven to act in order to his own benefit
- e.g. free market economy: free trade, no taxes, subsidies or regulations - allows individuals to pursue their own selfish interests
5
Q
Edmund Burke’s views on human nature
A
- human imperfection: gap between what people wanted & what they could achieve (mankind’s fallibility)
- talents not shared equally - lower classes incapable of leadership - elitist view
- e.g. strong law enforcement & criminal justice policies: Criminal Justice Act 2003 - powerful authority to maintain order & protect citizens from harm
6
Q
Edmund Burke’s views on the state
A
- ‘Noblesse Oblige’: supported the existence of elites & dismissed equality (inevitable and desirable - elitist view) but said it is the obligation of elites to look after & protect lower classes - paternalistic state
- disliked decentralisation of the French state & argued that the state was organic, dismissing the idea of creating an ideal state & removing traditions/history (‘anti-constitutionalism’)
- e.g. family & marriage policies: tax benefits for married couples (Transferrable Marriage Allowance 2015) - importance of tradition/custom, essential for maintaining social cohesion & stability
7
Q
Edmund Burke’s views on society
A
- organicism: society is like a plant (change necessary but had to be careful & it was important to stick to traditions that were the roots of the plant - if you interfere with the roots you damage/kill the plant)
- empiricism: look at society in reality of what it is rather than ideals of how it should be (France after the revolution is an example of a country dangerously based on ideals)
- localism: condemned highly centralised structures & praised a society made up of ‘little platoons’ (small, diverse communities) which are largely self-regulating & offer support to their members
- e.g. family & marriage policies: tax benefits for married couples (Transferrable Marriage Allowance 2015) - importance of tradition/custom, essential for maintaining social cohesion & stability
8
Q
Edmund Burke’s views on the economy
A
- free-market economics - laissez-faire
- e.g. low & stable taxation: preserving social order and preventing the disruption caused by excessive government intervention - minimal state
9
Q
Michael Oakeshott’s views on human nature
fallible but not terrible
A
- much more optimistic about human nature than Hobbes
- “fallible not terrible” therefore not capable of creating a perfect society but could get pleasure & improvement through everyday life: the satisfaction of the “humdrum of normality”
- some optimism in humanity of appreciation in the good things that exist rather than facing the frustration of chasing an ideal that couldn’t be reached
- e.g. preservation of legal & constitutional traditions: difficult constitutional amendment process in the US & judicial review & separation of powers, ensuring the judiciary can review the constitutionality of laws passed by the legislative & executive branch
10
Q
Michael Oakeshott’s views on the state
Ship analogy
A
- job of government is to “prevent bad not create good”: best things in life normally emerge from routine, apolitical activity
- ship analogy: “we all sail a boundless sea, with no appointed destination”: government/state should keep the ship afloat not necessarily try to take its ‘passengers’ to a destination
- promoted One Nation Conservatism & criticised by New Right who felt people had the ability to shape their destiny & the government had the ability to shape the destiny of a country
- e.g. Keynesian economics: creation of a welfare state to prevent disaster - full employment, affordable housing, unemployment benefits
11
Q
Michael Oakeshott’s views on society
A
- “humdrum of normality”: society built around empiricism/normality - humans incapable of creating a ‘perfect’ society but could get pleasure & improvement through everyday life
- favoured a society of local communities: saw socialism as an ideology that chased an ‘ideal’ that could not be reached and this leads to impatience, intolerance & frustration
- e.g. Keynesian economics: creation of a welfare state through full employment, affordable housing, unemployment benefits
12
Q
Michael Oakeshott’s views on the economy
A
- supporter of free market capitalism but accepted it creates victims who need help/support: believed in ‘Welfarism’
- free markets needed to be moderated by the state as they were volatile
- complained that the historic charms of rural areas & village communities were frequently threatened by “the remorseless rhythms” of market forces
- e.g. protection of green-belt areas from property developers & protection of ancient woodlands from the HS2 rail project
13
Q
Ayn Rand’s views on human nature
objectivism
A
- objectivism: humans completely motivated & driven by self-interest and “rational self-fulfilment’
- promoted selfishness as a worthwhile virtue: made rational & ethical sense
- e.g. individual freedom & civil liberties: 1st amendment to the US Constitution protects freedom of speech, religion & assembly, aligning with Rand’s emphasis on individual autonomy and rational self-interest
14
Q
Ayn Rand’s views on the state
rolling back of the state
A
- argued for “rolling back the state” through significant tax cuts & privatisation: government as small as possible
- argued for a small, strong state & the need for law & order to be provided by the state
- liberty was impossible without order & security which only a state could provide: support for Barry Goldwater (“the small state is the strong state”)
- e.g. minimal state: deregulation & privatisation e.g. Thatcher’s privatisation of water, electricity, railways etc., limited government spending, tax cuts & free trade
15
Q
Ayn Rand’s views on society
atomism
A
- atomism: society is just a collection of autonomous individuals each individually seeking self-fulfilment & self-realisation & therefore society does not exist as an entity
- talented individuals, rather than ambitious governments, lay at the heart of any successful society: without the energy of such individuals, a society would quickly wither
- e.g. minimal government intervention: deregulating industries, lowering taxes & reducing government bureaucracy promotes atomism by allowing individuals greater freedom to make their own choices & pursue their goals without undue restriction
