Conservatism

• Conservatism


  Defined by the desire to conserve, reflected in a resistance to, or at least a suspicion of, change
• What distinguishes conservatism


  • Support for tradition
  • Belief in human imperfection
  • Attempt to uphold the organic structure of society
• Traditional conservatism


  Defends established institutions and values on the ground that they safeguard the 'fabric of society', giving security-seeking human beings a sense of stability and rootedness
• New Right


  Characterised by a belief in a strong but minimal state, combining economic libertarianism with social authoritarianism, as represented by neoliberalism and neoconservatism
• Pragmatism


  Rejects theory and ideology in favour of practical experience: the approach to society should be flexible, with decisions made on the basis of what works
• To be a Conservative is to prefer the tried to the untried
• Pragmatism


  Implies a flexible approach to politics which asks what will work best and what is acceptable to the public in order to maintain social stability and cohesion
• Conservatives reject abstract ideas, theories and ideologies that claim to 'explain' or 'improve' human life and development
• Principles and ideas such as 'human rights, 'a classless society' and 'equality' are naïve, impractical and dangerous because they can promote violence in the attempt to remake of society (often through revolution) that leads to worse rather than better conditions
• Change to conserve


  Pragmatism was essential to allowing some form of slow incremental change which was natural and inevitable
• A society 'without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation' — peace and survival of society depend on some careful change and adaptation through evolution, whereas the unbending pursuit of revolution or the unbending resistance to change would lead to conflict and chaos
• One-nation conservatives


  Hold a pragmatic 'middle way' approach to the economy that combines market competition with government regulation
• Tradition


  The institutions, customs and practices of a society that have developed over time
• Conservatives who believed that the world was created by a divine being saw society's institutions and practices of society as 'God-given'
• Edmund Burke: 'Society is partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead and those who are to be born'
• Tradition


  Constitutes the accumulated wisdom of the past, and the institutions, customs and practices of the past have demonstrated their value to earlier societies as they have proved 'fit for purpose' over time and survived
• Each generation has a solemn duty to safeguard and pass on the accumulated wisdom of tradition to the next generation
• Conservatives argue that reform or change can only be justified if it takes place organically by evolving naturally in a peaceful, gradual way in order to strengthen existing institutions, customs and practices
• Conservatives claim that any attempt to implement radical, wide-ranging changes will cut people off from the `traditional' basis of society and inevitably lead to instability, anxiety and insecurity
• Human imperfection


  Conservatives have a pessimistic view of human nature, arguing that people are flawed and incapable of reaching a state of perfection
• Conservatives hold a pessimistic, even Hobbesian, view of human nature, believing that humankind is innately selfish and greedy, anything but perfectible
• Conservatives' view of human nature


  Crime is a consequence of base human instincts and appetites, not a product of inequality or social disadvantage
• Conservatives believe that the only effective deterrent to criminal behaviour is law, backed up by the knowledge that it will be strictly enforced
• Conservatives stress that a tough stance on law and order is required, to deter criminal behaviour
• Conservatives have typically rejected the 'politics of principle' and adopted instead a traditionalist political stance
• The New Right is radical, in that it has sought to advance free-market reforms by dismantling inherited welfarist and interventionist structures
• The New Right's radicalism is based on rationalism and a commitment to abstract theories and principles, notably those of economic liberalism
• Areas of commonality for conservatives on their view of human nature


  • Humans have a natural inclination to form collective groupings for advancement
  • Structures like the family are crucial for individuals and the roots of human nature
  • Humans pursue private as opposed to public ends and thus should not be regulated by the state
• Areas of disagreement amongst conservatives on their view of human nature


  • Traditional conservatives believe human nature can cause problems if left unchecked, whereas New Right conservatives believe it should be left unchecked
  • Traditional conservatives place emphasis on traditions and customs to guide human nature, whereas New Right conservatives feel it should shift and venture into new avenues
  • New Right conservatives view human nature as progressive with potential for self-seeking individualism, whereas traditional conservatives hold a more pessimistic view
• Organic society


  Conservatives see humans as dependent and security-seeking, and society and social groups provide individuals with a sense of security and purpose
• If people did not acknowledge and act on their responsibilities and social bonds, human society would lack social cohesion and descend into Atomism (the idea that society is made up of self-interested and self-sufficient individuals)
• Freedom


  Involves 'doing one's duty', such as acting as a dutiful son or daughter and conforming to parental wishes
• Organic society


  Conservatives think of society as a living thing, an organism, whose parts work together in a fragile set of relationships
• An organic society is based on natural needs and instincts such as affection, security and concern, rather than an ideological blueprint devised by political theorists
• Traditionally, conservatism has argued that society is naturally hierarchical — it is based on fixed social ranks and inequalities
• Organic society


  Based on natural needs and instincts such as affection, security and concern, rather than an ideological blueprint devised by political theorists
• Society is fashioned by natural necessity, not invented by social thinkers or political theorists
• Family


  A product of natural social impulses such as love, caring and responsibility, not a 'contract' that children agree to
• Long-standing institutions have played a key role in preserving the 'health' of society and should not be changed or removed
• Hierarchy and authority


  Conservatism argues that society is naturally hierarchical, based on fixed social ranks and inequalities