Conservatism

What is Pragmatism?

• focuses on preserving and protecting the stability of social and social order (change to conserve)

• don’t advocate for change but recognise that change is sometimes necessary

What do Traditional conservatives think about Pragmatism?

• Burke- change to conserve

• Pragmatism would bring organic change

• Actions on experience (empiricism)

• ideologies is based on flawed reasoning

• Oakshot- ‘to be conservative is to prefer the tried to the untried’

What do one nation conservatives think about pragmatism?

• Traced to Benjamin Disraeli

• Reform is sensible if it is in the interests of a;;

• support neither the individual or the state

• policy needs to be made in practical circumstances and experiences

• non ideological middle way between liberalims and socialism

What do New Right Conservatives think to pragmatism?

• reject pragmatism and favour an ideological approach

• believe humans are rational but not imperfect

• Rand- creation of wealth was to be praised/supported

• laissez faire capitalism which emphasised individual rights

What is tradition for Conservatives?

• marriage, monarchy and religion

• tradition reflects wisdom from the past

• tradition creates social cohesion as it connects people to the past and provides them with a collective identity

What do traditional conservatives think about tradition?

• support tradition, one should look to the past to inform the present and the future

• generates a sense of identity, provides stability and continuity

• change is a journey into the unknown creating uncertainty and endangers happiness

What do one nation conservatives think about tradition?

• support tradition as it encourages people to look to the past to consider the futute

• Disraeli didn’t want unrestrained Capitalism

• gradual but necessary change

• tradition helps to make people feel safe and secure a changing world

What do New Right Conservatives think about tradition?

• want radical, extreme change in society

• free market economics and social authoritariansim

• Rand- likes private enterprise ‘radical for capitalism’

What is human imperfection?

• humans are psychologically and intelectually limited

• life is too complicated for humans to fully grasp

• immoral behaviour is rooted in humans

What do traditional conservatives think about human imperfection?

• emphaises social order and suspicous of liberty

• Hobbes- humans should sacrifice liberty in the cause of social order

• order only possible when humans abandon their natural selfishness

What do one nation conservatives think about human imperfection?

• patriotism unites people of all classes under the banner of ‘the nation’

• intelectual imperfection- the world is too complex for humans to understand

• Moral Imperfection-emphasises order in society is evident in their agreement of human imperfection

• the working class need guidance from the ruling elite

What do the New Right think on human imperfection?

• Atomistic individuals and rational individuals make decisions in their own best interests

• Rand- defender of virtues of selfishness

• Nozick- free market capitalism

• Imperfect humans need to be guided by an authorty figure from above

• human nature is contradicting in the New Right

What is Organicism?

• people cannot exist separately from society and society provides individuals witha sense of security and purpose

• society is a living entity with all it’s parts working together in harmony

What do traditional conservatives think about organicism?

• people can’t exist separate from society

• advocates for an organic society

• do your duty within society

• authority imposed by natural responsibilities

• wroking class don’t have the livlihood of others resting on their shoulders

What do One Nation Conservatives think about organicism?

• society is more important than the individual

• Disraeli wanted to reduce the split between rich and poor

• problems by capitalism are everyones issues

• nobless oblige (noble obliged to help the less fortunate)

• inequality of wealth gave rise to an inequality of responsibility

What does the New Right think about organicism?

• individuals need to be self sufficient

• Nozeck- condemned policy of welfare and redistribution of property rights

• meritocracy over hierarchy

• state imposed authority is vital, restores authority and imposes social discipline

What is Paternalism?

• the belief that higher authority knows best and acts in the best interest of al

What do traditional conservatives think about paternalism?

• those in higher positions have greater wisdom and know what is best for all

• society should obey those above them

• society is naturally unequal

• welfare laws and wearing seatbelts is paternalism

What do one nation conservatives think about paternalism?

• want to persuade people their approach is beneficial, offers support and protection

• improving conditions for the working class, creating a caring image

What do New Right conservatives think about paternalism?

• authoritarian- authority is imposed on the population

• Permissive values have undermined the importance of family values

• strong and powerful state reflected thrpigh tough law and order (long prison sentences)

What is Libertarianism? (New Right)

• The belief in extending the most amount of freedom to the individual for them to make individual choices

• individuals prosper most when restrictions are minimal

What do traditional conservatives think about libertarianism?

• reject and instead support an organic society which offers stability and continuity of society (one nation conservatives share this view)

What does the new right conservatives think about libertarianism?

• economic individualism

• don’t want to expand liberty to other aspects of life, only want to expand economically

• Rand and Nozick would expand liberty into other aspects of life

What do traditional conservatives think about the economy?

• Burke- defender of private property and cautious of government intervention

• state intervention makes it harder for consumers and producers

• local communities should remain free to address local problems- government should focus on their core function and know their limits

What do One Nation Conservatives think about the economy?

• free market creates social division

• want intervention to limit exploitative nature of capitalism, reduces the chance of a revolution

• improve conditions of left well off to consolidate the hierarchy rather than remove it

What do new right conservatives think about the economy?

• private property and ownership as it creates value

• property is a reflection of your effort

• give people a state in society

What were Thomas Hobbes’ beliefs?

• doesn’t like the state of nature and instead believes in human nature

• role of the state is to prevent anarchy and ensure contracts are upheld

• all forms of social order are preferable to an absence of social order

• authority derives from the people (govern by consent)

• People can disobey the state if their lives are under threat

What were Edmund Burke’s beliefs?

• rejects the enlightenment and thinks humans are imperfect and imperfectable

• humans seek security and stability

• change shouldn’t be done by revolution

• society needs to reflect the past, consider the present and meet the needs of future generation

• ruling classes are the only ones who can govern the country (paternalism and nobless oblige)

What were Michael Oakshott’s beliefs?

• prefer familiar to the unknown

• state can’t create a new society

• believes in pragmatism and human nature

What were Ayn Rand’s beliefs?

• disliked welfare policies

• dislikes taxes

• emphasises needs for rational self interest

• laissez faire and free market economy

• dislikes redistributive economics

What were Robert Nozick’s beliefs?

• natural justice (without state interference)

• minimal state (only interfere to impose contracts and protect against theft)

• dislikes redistribution of wealth and believes that tax is legalised theft