Conservatism thinkers Flashcards
Thomas Hobbes key work
Leviathan (1651) trADITIONA
Thomas Hobbes key concept
Negative view of human nature. Social contract theory, whereby individuals surrender to a ‘sovereign’ autocratic power
Thomas Hobbes key quote
life in the state of nature would be “…nasty, brutish and short”
Thomas Hobbes human nature view
Cynical, indviduals are selfish, driven by a restless and ruthless desire for supremacy and security
Thomas Hobbes state view
The state arises contractually from individuals who seek order and security. To serve its purpose, the state must be autocratic
Thomas Hobbes society view
There can be no society until the creation of a state brings order and authority to human affairs. Life without a state would be ‘nasty, brutish and short’.
Thomas Hobbes economy view
Constructive and enduring economic activity is impossible without a state guaranteeing order and security
Edmund Burke key work
Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790) TRADITIONAL
Edmund Burke key concept
Changing to conserve, based on empiricism and tradition.
Edmund Burke key quote
Good order is the foundation of all great things. The ideal society “..is a partnership between those who are living, those who are dead and those yet to be born”
Edmund Burke human nature view
Skeptical: 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.
Edmund Burke state view
The state arises organically and should be aristocratic, driven by a hereditary elite, reared to rule in the interest of all
Edmund Burke society view
Society is organic and multi-faceted, comprising a host of small communities and organizations (little platoons)
Edmund Burke economy view
Trade should involve ‘organic’ free markets and laissez-faire capitalism
Michael Oakeshott key work
On Being Conservative (1962) ONE-NATION
Michael Oakeshott key concept
Less negative view of human nature: ‘fallible not terrible’. Pragmatism ‘the art of the possible’
Michael Oakeshott key quote
“To be conservative … is to prefer the familiar to the unknown, to fact to mystery, the near to the distant, …. the convenient to the perfect, present laughter to utopian bliss”
Michael Oakeshott human nature view
Modest: humanity is at its best when free from grand designs and when focused on the routines of everyday life
Michael Oakeshott state view
The state should be guided by tradition and practical concerns. Pragmatism, not dogmatism, should be its watchword
Michael Oakeshott society view
Localized communities are essential to humanity’s survival, especially when guided by short term requirements rather than abstract ideas
Michael Oakeshott economy view
Free markets are volatile and unpredictable, and may require pragmatic moderation by the state
Ayn Rand key work
Atlas Shrugged, (1957) The Fountainhead New right
Ayn Rand key concept
Atomitism - Without talented individuals, a society will quickly wither no matter how much activity is expended by governments.
Ayn Rand key quote
A society that robs an individual of the product of his effort… is not strictly speaking a society, but a mob held together by institutionalised violence. I am a man who does not exist for others
Ayn Rand human nature view
‘Objectivist’: we are and ought to be guided by rational self-interest and the pursuit of self-fulfillment
Ayn Rand state view
The state should confine itself to law, order and national security. Any attempt to promote ‘positive liberty’ via state intervention, should be resisted.
Ayn Rand society view
In so far as it exists at all, society is atomistic: the mere sum of its individuals. Any attempt to restrict its individuals in the name of society should be challenged.
Ayn Rand economy view
Free market capitalism is an expression of objectivist individualism and should not be hindered by the state.
Robert Nozick key work
Anarchy, State and Utopia (1974) New right
Robert Nozick key concept
The growth of government is the gravest threat to individual freedom.
Robert Nozick key quote
Taxation on earnings is on a par with forced labour Individuals are “freedom loving pack animals”
Robert Nozick human nature view
Egotisitical: individuals are driven by a quest for self-ownership allowing them to realize their full potential.
Robert Nozick state view
The minarchist state should merely outsource. Renew and reallocate contracts to private companies providing public services
Robert Nozick society view
Society should be geared to individual self-fulfillment. This may lead to a plethora of small, variable communities reflecting their members’ diverse tastes and philosophies
Robert Nozick economy view
The minarchist state should detach itself from a privatized and deregulated economy, merely arbitrating disputes between private economic organizations.
