Traditional Conservatism

Question 1

Thinkers

Answer 1

Hobbes
Burke
Oakeshott

Question 2

Human Nature

Answer 2

Is negative e.g. humans are selfish, desiring of power, imperfect
Cannot be transformed or fundamentally improved & therefore society needs to be designed around controlling humans ability to harm others e.g. Kant “from the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing was ever made.”
Believe competition is natural & so tend to prefer democracy & capitalism despite believing both inevitably have many imperfections.

Question 3

Society

Answer 3

Social order is absolutely fundamental and social order is held together by consensus over societal norms and values. Cultural pluralism is a threat to this order & is dangerous therefore to both ‘native’ and ‘immigrant’ populations.
Society is profoundly unequal and this is both natural and organic. Inequality arises because people have different talents & because of natural human individualism. In attempting to make an equal society, governments tend to take away liberty, which is undesirable.
People need to clearly understand their place in society and then they’ll be content.

Question 4

State

Answer 4

Authoritarian conservatives argue for a huge all-powerful state.
People appreciate government figures in authority telling them what to do — it makes them feel secure.
Emphasizes the key role of the family as a source of natural authority.
More authoritarian branches of this strand of conservatism focus mainly on strong law and order.

Question 5

Welfare

Answer 5

Welfare is not seen as an important area. People are ordered and controlled by the state, which is in their own interests. it is not the job of the state to provide welfare and financially support citizens.

Question 6

Economy

Answer 6

A firm belief in the importance of private ownership — it gives people a stake in society, thus incentivising them to uphold the law.
The need of the rulers to have access to sufficient funds dictates tax policy.
The rights of the individual to keep what they earn or own is subordinate to the needs of the state.

Question 7

Ideology

Answer 7

Tradition is the essential element in running society. there is no role for fancy thinking and philosophers and their unproven theories and concepts.

Question 8

Change

Answer 8

Change is not a welcome thing. Authoritarian conservatives do not change, but other traditional conservatives will shift albeit grudgingly. Change in order to conserve.

Question 9

Order Authority and hierarchy

Answer 9

There is an essential belief of the importance of order, authority and hierarchy — conservatism was ‘created’ for the maintenance of order, authority and hierarchy.

Question 10

Crime

Answer 10

Crime is the fault of the perpetrators who are innately wrongdoers by virtue of the negative nature of humanity.

Question 11

Individual Rights

Answer 11

Individual rights are wholly subordinate to the state’s importance.

Question 12

Nationalism & the Nation State

Answer 12

Nations are organic and central to conservatives.