Conservative key thinkers

Hobbes view on human nature

• humans are selfish

• desire for supremacy and security

Burkes view on human nature

• can aim for perfection but it cannot be achieved

• The ‘crooked timber of humanity’ is marked by a gab between aspiration and achievement

Oakeshotts view on human nature

humanity is at best when free from grand designs + focused on routines of everyday life (emphasis on tradition?)

Rands view on human nature

we are - and ought to be - guided by rational self interest and the pursuit of self-fulfilment

Nozicks view on human nature

individuals are driven by a quest for ‘self-ownership’ allowing them to realise their full potential

Hobbes view on human nature in a word

cynical

Burkes view on human nature in a word

skeptical

Oakeshotts view on human nature in a word

modest

Rands view on human nature in a word

Objectivist

Nozicks view on human nature in a word

Egotistical

Hobbes view on the state

the state arises contractually from individuals who require order and security. to serve its purpose, the state must be autocratic

Burkes view on the state

The state predates society, and should be aristocratic, driven by a hereditary elite, ruling in the interest of all

Oakshotts view on the state

the state should be guided by tradtion. pragmatism over dogmatism

Rands view on the state

the state should confine itself to law and order and national security. positive liberty via state intervention should be resisted.

Nozicks view on the state