Conservatism

Cards (38)

  • Key thinkers from the spec
    • Ayn Rand
    • Michael Oakeshott
    • Robert Nozick
    • Edmund Burke
    • Thomas Hobbes
  • Traditional Conservatives

    • Edmund Burke
    • Thomas Hobbes
  • Thomas Hobbes' belief in human nature

    Cynical; individuals are selfish, driven by a restless and ruthless desire for supremacy and security
  • Thomas Hobbes' belief in the state

    The state arises 'contractually' from individuals who seek order and security. To serve its purpose the state must be autocratic and awesome
  • Thomas Hobbes' belief in society
    There can be no 'society' until the creation of a state brings order and authority to human affairs. Life until then is 'nasty, brutish and short'
  • Conservatism
    Characterized by the desire to conserve - to prevent or minimise change
  • Traditional forms of conservatism
    • Had the primary aim of preventing or minimising change
  • New Right thinking
    Challenged the traditional forms of conservatism in the 1970s and 80s
  • Pragmatism
    An adaptable, practical response to political decision-making - decisions are made on the basis of what works in that particular situation, based on past experiences
  • Pragmatism
    The opposite to principle or ideology, where decisions would be made based on convictions or particular beliefs
  • Linked most strongly with pragmatism
    • Traditional and One Nation conservatism
  • Burke's view on pragmatism
    Cautious pragmatism will help manage changes without revolution or chaos. 'Change in order to conserve'
  • One Nation conservatives
    Responded to the effects of early industrialisation by supporting government measures to help the less well-off, and in the 1950s and 60s advocated some state intervention in the economy in order to generate funding for welfare programmes
  • New Right
    Rejected pragmatism in favour of principle - the strongly principled belief in the ability of the free market to deliver all goods and services
  • Tradition
    Established customs and institutions that conservatives defend for various reasons
  • Conservatives' view on tradition
    • Society is shaped by the 'law of our Creator', so should not be tampered with
    • The accumulated wisdom of the past should be respected and preserved
    • Tradition gives a sense of belonging and identity
  • Human imperfection
    The philosophy that humans are imperfect and therefore need control and organisation
  • Conservatives' view of human nature
    • Psychologically: Humans are creatures of habit who like safety, security and familiarity. Liberty is a problem because it gives choices and uncertainty.
    • Morally: Criminal behaviour is not caused by society but by the imperfect individual. People can be kept away from antisocial behaviour if they are regulated and controlled away from their natural and selfish impulses.
    • Intellectually: Humans are not intelligent or rational and the world is too complicated for people to grasp. They base their ideas on a love of certainty, tradition and history, and want to be as pragmatic as possible.
  • Some aspect of New Right thinking can be argued to have a more positive view of human nature, e.g. the belief in the free market allowing people a great deal of freedom in the economic sphere
  • Thomas Hobbes
    English political philosopher who argued for complete obedience to an absolute government in his work Leviathan (1651)
  • Hobbes' views
    • Ordered society should balance the human need to lead a free life
    • Humans are needy, vulnerable and easily led astray in attempts to understand the world around them
  • State of nature
    Hypothetical time before any government, which Hobbes termed as 'nasty, brutish and short'
  • Hobbes argued that to avoid the chaos of the state of nature, humans need to submit to an authority, even an authoritarian one, as the alternative of no state would always be worse
  • Edmund Burke

    Irish-born politician and writer who criticised the French revolutionaries for basing their actions on abstract ideas
  • Burke's views

    • Political change should be undertaken with great caution and organically
    • Practices passed down for generations should be respected
  • Ayn Rand
    Russian-born American philosopher who was a supporter of libertarianism and a laissez-faire market economy
  • Rand's views

    • Humans should pursue their own happiness as the highest moral aim (objectivism)
    • State intervention, such as wealth redistribution/welfarism, should not be permitted
  • Michael Oakeshott
    British political philosopher who argued that actions should always be guided by pragmatism
  • Oakeshott's views
    • Society is unpredictable and humans are imperfect
    • Conservatism is about being pragmatic
  • Robert Nozick

    American philosopher who argued for a rights-based libertarian political system and a very minimal state
  • Nozick's views

    • Individuals in society cannot be treated as a thing, or used against their will as a resource (based on Kant's idea)
    • Individuals own their bodies, talents, abilities and labour
    • Nozick argued that taxation is 'forced labour' as the state forcibly takes a proportion of the individual's wage, therefore treating the individual as a resource to achieve an aim
    • Nozick argued for a minimal 'night-watchman' state which only exists to protect people's basic freedoms
  • Paternalism
    The idea that governing is best done by those in positions of power or privilege, in a 'fatherly' fashion
  • Neoliberalism
    An updated version of classical economic liberalism, dedicated to the free market
  • Thomas Hobbes' views
    • Human nature - cynical: individuals are selfish, driven by a restless and ruthless desire for supremacy and security.
    • State - the arises contractually from individuals who seek order and security. To serve its purpose the state must be autocratic and awesome
    • Society - There can be no society until the creation of a state brings order and authority to human affairs. Life until then is nasty brutish and short
    • Economy - constructive and enduring economic activity is impossible without a state guaranteeing order and security.
  • Edmund Burke's views

    • Human nature - Sceptical: 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.
    • State - arises organically and should be aristocratic, driven by a hereditary elite, reared to rule in the interests of all
    • Society - is organic and multi faceted comprising a host of small communities and organisations - little platoons.
    • Trade - should involve organic free markets.
  • Michael Oakeshott's views

    • Human nature - modest: humanity is at its best when free from grand designs and when focused on the routines of everyday life.
    • State - should be guided by tradition and practical concerns. Pragmatism, not dogmatism, should be its watchword.
    • Society - localised communities are essential to humanity survival especially when guided by short term requirements rather than abstract ideas
    • Economy - Free markets are volatile and unpredictable - and may require pragmatic moderation by the state
  • Ayn Rand's views
    • Humans - Objectiviest we are and ought to be guided by rational self interest and pursuit of self-fulfilment
    • State - should confine itself to law, order and national security. Any attempts to promote positive liberty via further state intervention should be resisted.
    • Society - in so far as it exists at all, is atomistic: the mere sum total of its individuals. any attempt to restrict individuals in the name of society should be challenged.
    • Economy - Free market capitalism is an expression of objectivists individualism and should not be hindered by the state.
  • Robert Nozick's views
    • Human nature - egotistical: individuals are driven by a quest of self ownership allowing them to realise their full potential
    • State - the monarchist state should merely outsource, renew and reallocate contracts to private companies providing public services.
    • Society - should be geared to individuals self fulfilment this may lead to a plethora of small, variable communities reflecting their members diverse taste and philosophies.
    • Economy - the monarchist state should detach itself from a privatised and deregulated economy. merely arbitrating disputes between private economic organsiations.