Conservatism - Topic 1 Flashcards
Core ideas and principles of Conservatism and how they relate to human nature, the state, the economy and society
Describe the core principle of in pragmatism conservatism
Pragmatic thinkers are informed by empiricism and have a deep distrust of the abstract theories favoured by political ideas such as liberalism and socialism. As Burke argued ‘Example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no other’.
What is a traditional conservative’s view on pragmatism?
Burke’s idea of ‘change to conserve’ highlights traditional conservatives views on pragmatism. Change should be derived from empiricism with the aim of making society more stable as well as being an example of paternalism.
What is a one-nation conservative’s view on pragmatism?
One-nation conservatism, especially during 1951 to 1979, pragmatially accepted and continued the radical changes made to British society by Attlee to continue the stability of the nation post war.
What is a new right’s view on pragmatism?
Neo-liberals completely reject pragmatism as they have a more positive view of human nature and they prefer rationalism.
Neo-conservatives, as a continuation of traditional conservatives, will be pragmatic in order to maintain the structure of society when they have to.
Describe the core principle of tradition in conservatism
Traditions are seen as the accumulated wisdom of the past that underpin society. Traditions are represented by the institutions of state and customs of society that have proven their worth and are fit for purpose. Religion is perhaps the most important tradition as they bind society together.
What is a traditional conservative’s view on tradition?
Traditional conservatives argue that society is a ‘partnership between those who are living, those who are dead and those who are to be born’. Tradition, custom and habit should govern human action, not abstract thought. Accumulated wisdom is found within long-standing institutions such as the monarchy, ancient schools and universities, and communities, as well as the religion. Humans should trust traditions to guide them. Abandoning said traditions is dangerous.
What is a one-nation conservative’s view on tradition?
One-nation conservatives advocate for the “preservation of established institutions and traditional principles within a political democracy, in combination with social and economic programmes designed to benefit the ordinary person.”
What is a new right’s view on tradition?
According to neo-conservatives, there is a very clear distinction between right and wrong based upon religious teachings and social traditions. Neo-conservatives seek cultural homogeneity and therefore favour everyone to share the same traditions.
Neo-liberalism seeks to disrupt and overcome any institutions which stand in the way unlike any other branch of conservatism. They favour rationalism and change to achieve in the self-interested end goal.
Describe the core principle of human imperfection in conservatism
Conservatism argues that humans are imperfect and self-interested. Human imperfection cannot be avoided as humans desire power and material gratification and are distrustful of others. The ‘state of nature’ is a violent, fearful place where humans are in never-ending conflict as they pursue selfish desires.
What is a traditional conservative’s view on human imperfection?
Traditional conservatism splits human imperfection into three categories: morally imperfect, intellectually imperfect, and psychologically imperfect. Although traditional conservatives view humans as intellectually imperfect, they don’t think of them as completely irrational. Humans would seek a social contract to allow society to develop and humans to live collectively without fear.
Burke took this view, and altered the view, saying that humans are naturally communal as they see imperfection and band together in supportive communities. He also though human reason was stronger than other traditional conservatives.
What is a one-nation conservative’s view on human imperfection?
One-nation conservatives agree that humans are morally, intellectually and psychologically imperfect and thus require tradition to guide them.
What is a new right’s view on human imperfection?
Neo-conservatives fear liberal social attitudes and became bastions of ‘anti-permissiveness’. Neo-conservatives stress the importance of the state as a way of strengthening leadership, authority and joint moral thinking. They worry that individual values will weaken and damage society and that the shared bonds between people should be strengthened. Individuals are likely to make the ‘wrong’ moral choices and therefore destabilise themselves and individuals may all make different choices and therefore undermine the nature of the connected organic society.
Although humans may be selfish, neo-liberals say that humans are rational and entitled to pursue their own interests in their own way, as long as they accept others can do the same. This approach to individualism, claim neoliberals, releases human potential and creates natural harmony through free relations between people.
Describe the core principle of organic society/state in conservatism
Conservatives believe that society is not created by emerges and grows, developing like an organism. The natural rights and laws favoured by Locke are a rationalistic conceit, as individual rights need a state to maintain them. Individual rights are dependent upon law and order and only the state has the authority to give individual rights a practical meaning.
What is a traditional conservative’s view on organic society/state?
Traditional conservatives believe that once the state provides the necessary order, society will emerge organically, maturing into a complicated organism of traditions and customs. The landed aristocracy perform a crucial cultural role in maintaing social order. ‘Pretended rights are all extremes and in proportion as they are metaphysically true, they are morally and politically false’.
What is a one-nation conservative’s view on organic society/state?
All one-nation conservatives have accepted the concept of democracy. However, society remains hierarchical even within a modern democracy, and the paternalism of noblesse oblige can be found in post-war one-nation conservatism.
What is a new right’s view on organic society/state?
Similar to one-nation conservatives, neo-conservatives all accept the concept of democracy and society is hierarchical and found in the noblesse oblige.
Neo-liberals are oppositional to this view and are against the role of the state in the maintainance of society and instead prefer society to be self-interested and rationalistic as neo-liberals view society as atomistic, not organic.
Describe the core principle of paternalism in conservatism
Conservatives believe society is unequal and arranged in a natural hierrchy, in which the ruling class has a noblesse oblige relationshop to the people below them. This paternal responsibility is designed to help those less fortunate and who cannot act in their own interests.
What is a traditional conservative’s view on paternalism?
Traditional conservatives favour a kind of localised paternalism that can be traced to the feudal period, whereby squires ‘took care’ of their tenants and farmers, in the tradition of noblesse oblige.
What is a one-nation conservative’s view on paternalism?
Paternalism in early one-nation conservatives is a response to the possiblity of revolutionary socialism. Disraeli’s Crystal Palace speech spoke of ‘the elevation of the condition of people’. The ruling elite of the late nineteenth century accepted their obligation to the new industrial working class by enacting social reforms and limited welfarism to help the poorest.
After WWII, one-nation conservatism moved to increasingly intervene in both society and economy, such as accepting the NHS. This is an example of soft paternalism, where power still rests with elite but where their decision making is informed by listeing to what non-elites want.
What is a new right’s view on paternalism?
Neo-conservatives argue that paternalistic welfare has unintended consequences and those that were trying to help became hopelessly dependent on the state and the societal obligations of traditional conservatism had beenf forgotten.
Neo-liberals go further than this and argue for libertarianism and emphasis on negative freedom.
Describe the core principle of libertarianism in conservatism
Libertarianism is a political philosophy that emphasises negative freedom and minimal state intervention.
What is a traditional conservative’s view on libertarianism?
It is inherent in traditional conservatism and before Disraeli, as the state saw a minimal role in the economy and society. Traditional conservatives champion laissez-faire economics in their belief in libertarianism.
What is a one-nation conservative’s view on libertarianism?
With the growth of the state and welfare spending that income tax became compulsory. One-nation conservatives are the least libertarian of the branches, as they are more pragmatic and open to change in order to conserve social order.
What is a new right’s view on libertarianism?
Neo-conservatives admire the classical liberal ideas that were consistent with Burke such as the small state and laissez-faire economics.
Neo-liberals are the most libertarian of the branches as they are the modern rendition of classical liberalism. Neo-liberals reject pessimistic human imperfection and empiricism. They believe in egotistical individualism and negative freedom. They argue for a massive reduction in tax and state spending on society as a moral imperative. Neo-liberal ideas of individual freedom have led many neo-liberals to support legislation on hard drugs and prostitution, going against their partners in neo-conservativism as they are religiously moral.
