Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Conservatism - key thinkers - Coggle Diagram
Conservatism - key thinkers
Ayn Rand (1905-82)
Key ideas:
people should pursue their own happiness as their highest moral aim
people should work hard to achieve a life of purpose and productiveness
wrote 'Atlas Shrugged' (1957)
rise of fascism and communism in 20th century led to many reconsidering the role of the state
Objectivism:
the idea we should all be guided by self-interest and 'rational self-fulfilment' (ethical egoism)
should apply to all parts of life
agreed with liberal emphasis of rationality, but this should lead to ethnical individualism & idea rational pursuit of self-interest was morally right
State:
any attempts by the state to regulate an individuals actions, reduces the productiveness of the member in society, lesser their ability to exercise reason
rejects welfare and wealth distribution (non-aggression principle)
laissez-faire capitalist economy & renewal of negative liberty
rejects anarchism, state should ensure free markets and cultural laissez-faire attitudes are protected
liberty impossible without order and security, only a state can provide this (can be a small state)
government should only be the police, armed forces and law courts
Condemns personal altruism, makes people think they should put well-beings of others before themselves (goes against rational self-interest)
The New Right
Society:
does not exist, no more than a collection of independent individuals (atomistic)
talented individuals rather than ambitious governments are at the heart of society
successful society protects negative rights of individuals
Right to choose:
more libertarian, right of individual to choose abortion etc
The Virtue of Selfishness:
human knowledge based on reason, humans to be free, must according to reason
humans can only live according to reason if permitted to use own self-interest
external interference limits this
Michael Oakeshott (1901-90)
Wrote 'On Being Conservative' (1962)
Key ideas:
people's actions should be guided by pragmatism rather than ideology
theories and ideologies oversimplify complex situations
Human nature:
argues humans are imperfect and should be guided by pragmatism rather than idealism
humans are far better placed to appreciate the pre-existing pleasures in society rather than creating utopian bliss
Society & state:
modern society is unpredictable or complex, so it cannot be understood in terms of abstract principles or theories
any rational attempts to understand societies behaviour would inevitably distort or simply facts, this is made worse by human imperfection
this can be especially dangerous with a rational leader; trusting their rationality will make decisions on false assumptions, rather than personal experience, creates an illusion the leader fully understands society and how it can be changed
dictatorships (e.g. brutal facist) of 20th century show what can happen when there is a misguided attempt to create a society along rationalist lines
British parliamentary system has evolved pragmatically over time, and had not been created along rationalist lines
state exists to 'prevent the bad rather than create the good'
Nautical metaphor:
we sail a sea with no destination
job of government to keep ship afloat, using experience to negotiate storms, accepting changes in direction, not fixating on a port that may not exist
Pragmatism:
led to establishment of long-standing British parliamentary system, based on experience & tradition
led to parliamentary institutions developing pragmatically in response to practical demands of governing
pragmatism delivers what is in the best interests of the public without creating policies unacceptable to the public
it can maintain cohesion and stability in society, cautious change, moderation, historical continuity
flexible, can reflect complex & shifting social realities, unlike rigid ideologies
Rationalism:
led to politics based on abstract principles & systems of ideological & utopian thought
led to destruction and creation of a new political and social order
ignores practical knowledge
Knowledge:
practical/traditional knowledge, cannot be formulated into rules, must be imparted and acquired
technical knowledge, formulated into rules, can be taught and learnt, facts & rules
Politics:
politics of faith = use logic & reason, infallible guide, seeks rational perfect solution, rigid
politics of scepticism = pursue 'initiations', outcomes unknowable, seeks best outcome in current circumstances, flexible, gradual pragmatic improvements
politics of scepticism allowed the enfranchisement of women
Enterprise & civil associations
- Instead of passing non-instrumental rules, that maintain order while respecting the freedom of the individual, states have become enterprises, requiring choices to comply with a single vision
Conservative disposition
- Conservatism is rationalist - politics should be a conversation, we should value what we have inherited and pragmatically reform when necessary, not argue over disruptive ideological innovations
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
Human nature:
more optimistic, humans capable of kindness & altruism if there is a reason, based on tradition & christian values
human beings are flawed & irrational (human imperfection)
communal, little platoons
we never have freedom as we arrive in society with pre-existing duties & obligations
"father of conservatism"
was writing at a time of revolution
Tories and Whigs were the 2 parties at the time, Burke was a Whig, open to change but had ideas about how it should occur
Key ideas:
change has to be undertaken with great caution, mindful of the delicate balance in an organic society
tradition and empiricism should be respected because they represent practices passed down from one generation to the next
French Revolution:
eliminated tradition which led to chaos, they tried to create a new society & system on abstract principles (equality & liberty)
new constitution not stood the rest of time
Burke said this shows his view was correct & liberalism is wrong
people calling for existing order to be scrapped are replacing Existing Prejudices (accumulated wisdom) with Personal Prejudices (personal views just presented as rational and objective)
Burke praised The American Revolution as revolutionaries wanted to preserve their way of life, opposing unprecendeded taxes imposed by UK parliament
Organicism:
unlikely to support a codified constitution
conservatives sceptical of states that arise momentously such as state not empirical
state is a living organism like a plant, must be pruned and grafted
reform must be gradual and cautious, taking account of the past- based on tradition & empiricism (represents accumulated wisdom of past generations)
long-standing institutions represents this wisdom
respect for this would lead to obligation to seek to preserve wisdom of their ancestors, creates a strong sense of historical identity
revolutionary change threatens to cut off societies roots, breakdown
within all organic society's a ruling class is inevitable & desirable
Ruling class:
hierarchical
ruling class, power aristocratic / hierarchy than demography
upper-class born & trained to rule the state should rule
rule through empirical measures, order and social cohesion
Trustee (Burkean) representation
wealth distribution would create "equal beggary"
charity to the poor should be obligatory for all Christians but up to them how etc
Nation-state:
state based on nation-hood
natural basis for the state
hostility to the EU, diminish the nature
Brit/USA nation state intertwined, importance of monarchs/presidents as expressions of identity
wrote 'Reflections on the Revolution in France' (1970)
Society:
"little platoons", small, diverse and largely autonomous communties
these civil society teach us responsibility & appreciation
"a state without the means of some change...is without the means of its conservation"
"Prescription":
Burke's preferred method of change
wanted political reform to factor in longstanding custom as well as present day laws
reforms to preserve insitutions
standards of justice have to be gradually discovered in practice (Common Law) rather than rationally identified and draw from the state of nature (Human Rights)
Economics:
friends with Adam Smith, Libertarianism
natural for people to desire wealth
property a God given right & important for stability & order
right to property neccessary incentive to work etc
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
Human nature:
"solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short" life in the state of nature
"restless desire" for power
ruthlessly selfish
individualistic
humans are needy and vulnerable, need material resources and compete violent in order to acquire these necessities, also seek reputation which leads them to seek to exert their power
humans have week capacity to understand the world around them, any attempts to understand just distorted by self-interest
Key ideas:
an 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
Wrote 'Leviathan' (1651)
The state:
absolute soverignity the only alternative to chaos
state of nature led to fear among humans for safety, self-interested rational people would sacrifice their rights and freedom in return for order and security
social contract
political authority, surrender all but one of their natural rights (self-defence)
government is established when people consent to grant complete authority to those in power in order to preserve order and peace
people summit to the absolute authority of the state (Leviathan)
state must be autocratic, if power is dispersed it would lead to conflicts over power
society cannot arise unless selfishness is restrained
favoured absolute monarchy as all-powerful individual more effective than argumentative committee
monarch should do everything to induce peace and security, including making sure people have life's pleasures
wealthy who rely more on states protection should pay more taxes but not enough to undermine incentive to work, as this is vital for stable, harmonious society
Relativism:
only thing common to all people is a primal fear of death, so only right humans can universally agree is right to own life
there are no altruistic actions
only right thing is what individual deems necessary for self preservation
Natural laws:
natural rights of self reservation mean we can rationally deduce laws beneficial to everyone
1) if a man cannot obtain peace he can use war
2) everyone should be willing to lay down their rights if others do the same to a sovereign who can better protect them
we are only free once political order, and a state of law, has been established
traditional conservatism
"covenants without the sword are but words"
Robert Nozick (1938-2002)
Key ideas:
individuals in society cannot be treated as a thing, or used against their will as a resource
individuals own their bodies, talents, abilities and labour
Wrote 'Anarchy, State and Utopia' (1974)
The New Right
State:
rights-based libertarian system and a minimal state
taxes levied by the state against the individual are immoral as they amount to forced labour imposed by the state of individuals and they treat individuals as means or resource to further equality & social justice (violate principle that humans should be seen as better ends in themselves) - anti-paternalism
only justifiable state is a minimal / watch-man state with the powers to protect people against violence, theft and fraud
'manarchist' state with public services outsourced to private companies; allows raw individualism and free-market capitalism
Human nature:
based on Immanual Kant, humans should be treated as an end and never a means, they are rational, self-aware beings with free-will
the fact individuals should be ends in themselves gave them rights to their lives, liberty and the product of their labour
person should not be forced to work against their will because of this
human nature not wholly positive, violence, theft and dishonesty not main characteristics, the preservation of life, liberty and property should not be taken for granted
some formal authority is necessary
Society:
society preceded the state
a monarchist society allows for a number of self-sufficient communities to exist alongside individual freedom, these communities can pursue their own moral codes or values e.g. socialist or anti-Christian (similar to little platoons)
individuals should be left alone