Key Thinkers, key areas of discussion and key definitions

Question 1

Who are the key thinkers of conservatism?

Answer 1

1. Thomas Hobbes
2. Edmund Burke
3. Micheal Oakshott
4. Ayn Rand
5. Robert Nozick

Question 2

What are the main areas of discussion regarding conservatism?

Answer 2

1. Human nature
2. Pragmatism
3. Tradition
4. Society
5. State
6. Economy
7. Paternalism
8. Libertarianism

Question 3

What is meant by human nature?

Answer 3

-general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioural traits of humankind, regarded as shared by all humans.

Question 4

What is meant by pragmatism?

Answer 4

-An approach which evaluates theories or beliefs in terms of the sucess of their practical application.

Question 5

What is meant by tradition?

Answer 5

An inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior

Question 6

What is meant by a society?

Answer 6

-A group of people who live in a definable community and share the same culture.

Question 7

What is meant by the state?

Answer 7

-A political unit with soverignty over a particular territory

Question 8

What is meant by the economy?

Answer 8

-the process or system by which goods and services are produced, sold, and bought in a country or region

Question 9

What is meant by paternalism?

Answer 9

-an approach to running the country in which members of the elite seek to govern in the best interests of the people

Question 10

What is meant by libertarianism?

Answer 10

involves “the upholding of liberty, seeking to maximise autonomy and free choice, mainly in the economy”. (An individual strand of conservatism).