conservatism ideology

brief history of conservatism

- reaction to the liberal ideas and the radical societal changes brought by FR

- upheld traditionalism, hierarchy and a cautious, pragmatic approach to change

thomas hobbes background

- "levithian" book lays out key principles of conservatism

- human nature and social contract theory are his main things

hobbes key beliefs (human nature)

- human nature is that humans are self-interested, prone to conflict, needy and vulnerable

- therefore a strong state is necessary to control and curb this disorder and violence

- state should have the power to enforce laws and maintain peace

- this influenced later conservatives to rely on strong institutions

hobbes quote on society

- without a strong and stable state life would be "solitary, nasty, brutish and short"

- human nature is self-interested

hobbes on society

- social contract theory, where individuals collectively agree to surrender some of their freedoms to a sovereign authority in exchange for security and order. obey the state to be secure

- powerful centralised authority is necessary to prevent chaos and violent human nature

- social contract > state of nature

hobbes on the state

- powerful centralised authority (strong state) gov exists to provide security and order. no state equals war

- government by consent (social contract theory). state must be autocratic to fulfill purpose

hobbes on the economy

- constructive and enduring economic activity is impossible without a state guaranteeing order

- can only exist through state protection

edmund burke

- "father of conservatism"

- importance of maintaining established traditions, social hierarchy and gradual evolution

edmund burke on human nature

- sceptical, we cannot achieve perfection

- "the crooked timber of humanity"

- stability and security - have to trust traditional values rather than abstract concepts

- humans are imperfect but society can mitigate this

edmund burke on the state

- state is organic and aristocratic - gruadual change to conserve bcs too rapid change is unstable and impacts social harmony

edmund burke on society

- society is based on small communities

- tradition creates social stability

- paternalism / noblesse oblige

- partnership between "those who are living, those who are dead, those who are yet to be born"

edmund burke on the economy

- free market

- laissez-faire

- private property provides psychological security, stake in society

micheal oakeshott

- one nation conservative

- works and writings were influenced by the rise of fascism in the 30s

- main things are pragmatism and human imperfection - boat metaphor, little actions keep things afloat

oakeshott on human nature

- humans are (intellectually) imperfect and unable to understand reality and design complex systems

- the modern world is too complex for humans

- peoples actions should be guided by pragmatism rather than rationality or ideology

- society (right social and moral framework) can mitigate (make less bad) human imperfection as its not fixed at birth

- therefore has the potential for decency

- "foolish and flawed"

oakeshott on state

- governments should be led by tradition, empiricism and pragmatism!!

- this can deliver the best interest of the people, maintains social stability and is flexible, unlike rigid ideology

- state can be required to keep everything afloat (disraeli)

- slow and gradual change to ensure social stability - like a boat

- suspicious of decisionmakers

oakeshott on society

- tradition and pragmatism

- modern society is unpredictable and complex

- people prefer the status quo of tradition

- ensures society is stable and there is no radical changes

oakeshott on the economy

free market needs to be moderated slightly to keep society in tact

ayn rand

new right neo liberal

writing fiction in post war 40s/50s usa

- main things are objectivism (rational self interest - man exists for his own sake) and freedom - laissez faire capitalist economy, no state intervention, people must make their own decisions (rational)

ayn rand on human nature

humans are rational

should be guided by rational self interest anf self fulfillment

rejects human imperfection

"man must be the beneficiary of his own actions"

- humans maintain own lives by own efforts

ayn rand on the state

- minimal role in law and order

- opposed state welfare provisions

- humans maintain their own lives through their own efforts

- feared state intervention - product of flawed understanding of altruism (care of others)

- non-aggression principle opposed state coercion towards individuals

- negative liberty provides justification for rolling back the state - free to decide about sexuality and abortion

ayn rand on society

- against organic society

- obligations from organic society eroded freedom

- negative liberty - individuals are free to make choices about sexuality and abortion

traditional conservatism

a political ideology supporting the authority of the monarchy and the church in the belief that government provides the rule of law.

ayn rand on the economy

- free market with no state intervention, respect the rational pursuit of self interest

- small state to maintain free markets

- economic concerns are for the individual therefore

- non-aggression principle, humans have a right to maintain property and income without being taxed for welfare spending

robert nozick

new right

wrote in the 60/70s as a response to john rawls

- main ideas are libertarianism and self ownership

robert nozick on human nature

- humans are rational, self aware beings with free will

- humans have self ownership of their own bodies, ability and labour

- humans are not things or slaves

robert nozick on the state

- minarchist/nightwatchman state, minimal state to preserve liberty

- Growth of government is the greatest threat to freedom.

- Growth of welfare state creates dependency culture. State should merely outsource contracts for public services.

- self ownership - state cannot regulate what we eat drink or smoke

- states only role is to protect against violence, theft and fraud

robert nozick on society

- Society should be geared to individual self-fulfilment.

- anti social contract - restricts social freedoms

- individual rights > societal obligations

- organic society is a threat to social freedom

- individualism obligations are to themselves not society

nozick on the economy

- opposes tax for welfare state bcs its forced labour - taxation of earnings from labour is on par with forced labour

- ("Illegitimate use of a state to enrich some at the expense of others")

- state should only be an arbiter between private companies

traditional conservative key thinkers

Thomas Hobbes and Edmund Burke

traditional conservatives on human nature

negative view of human nature

- imperfect insecure and limited

- rejects idea humans can be pragmatic as humans lack intellectual capacity to be rational

- humans are morally, intellectually and psychologically imperfect

trad cons on state

libertarianism, small state

- individual right to liberty

- negative hm means tough stance on law and order to deter criminal behaviour

- foreign policy should be about national security rather than cooperation

- humans thrive on competition

-

trad cons on society

- society > the individual

- organic society - all parts work together to ensure cohesion

- slow and gradual change to conserve

- hierarchy

- paternalism/noblesse oblige

- tradition fosters social cohesion and should rely on accumulated wisdom support for traditional family values (rejects gay marriage and sexuality)

- equality is a bad idea bcs it can radically reorder society

trad cons on economy

- free market & libertarianism (minimal state intervention in the free market)

- natural competitive human nature

- burke likes free trade and market economy

- property owning democracy provides stability and provides security

one nation conservatism

a form of British political conservatism advocating preservation of established institutions and traditional principles combined with political democracy, and a social and economic programme designed to benefit the common man.

one nation key thinkers

micheal oakeshott

(Benjamin Disraeli)

one nation conservatives on human nature

- negative pragmatism

- humans cannot deal with theory or ideology

- instead focus on practical experience

- disraeli encourages self interested individualism

one nation conservatives in the state

larger state - preserve social order through more state intervention

- welfare programmes

- economic intervention

- defense of traditional institutions (family marriage etc)

- paternalism / noblesse oblige

look after the poor

david cameron - compassionate conservatism

one nation on society

- organic society

- pragmatism

oakeshott - society should be flexible based on what works "prefer the tried to the untried" - tradition

- paternalism - rich have moral obligation to help the poor

- social harmony is helped through gov support to maintain hierarchy

- shared society

one nation on economy

- Some tax for welfare (reduce class gap).

- Noblesse Oblige.

- The ability to accumulate wealth is important as an economic incentive.

- high employment

- mixed economy

- oakeshott, middle way encourage market economy w gov regulation

- disraeli, capitalism encourages self interest that undermines social responsibility

new right strand

neoliberalism

neoconservatism

new right (both neoliberal) key thinkers

ayn rand

robert nozick

neoliberalism

A strategy for economic development that calls for free markets, balanced budgets, privatization, free trade, and minimal government intervention in the economy. also freedom in general - ayn rand very clearly indicates this

neo liberals on human nature

- positive individualism they believe that humans are intellectual and pragmatic and therefore should have the freedom to make their own decisions.

- despite this humans can be selfish

- reject paternalism and humans can self help as they have responsibility and personal initiative

neoliberals on the state

- small state (ayn rand) as it restricts economic growth

- reduce welfare role bcs it encourages dependency

- rejects paternalism - self help and individual responsibility

- negative freedom - state should not infringe on personal choices e.g. abortion sexuality (ayn rand)

neoliberals on society

- atomistic society

- individuals are more important than society as a whole

thatcher - "there's no such thing as society"

- freedoms are restricted by social obligations implemented by organic and united societies

- reject the organic society

- people are independent and rational

- reason > tradition

- negative freedom , individuals are intellectual enough to make their own decisions e.g. sexuality, abortion

neoliberals on the economy

- less direct tax because people know how best to spend their own money rather than gov spending it for them

- state restricts economic growth - liberarianism (robert nozick)

- free market economy is best to meet demand, maximise resources and generate wealth

- inflation is the biggest threat to the economy

- lower gov spending to control money supply - monetarism, thatcher

- anti trade union

- reject paternalism, self help

- supply side economics

- individualism guaranteed by the free market

neoconservatism

- Perspective advocating military strength to project values

- tradition

- strong law and order

- public morality

neoconservatives on human nature

- humans need a strong state or else they become criminal and permissive (nozick but he also believes that we should have much self freedom, and this is the only role of the state )

- humans are imperfect and this cannot be transformed

neoconservatives on the state

- small state in economy

- reduce economic role of state

- strong state in society

- policing to combat crime and antisocial behaviour

- harsh punishments for crime

- national security > cooperation

- anti-permissive, state must deal with immoral lifestyles

neo cons on society

- traditional family values, reject homosexuality

- organic society (authoritarian) reassert social discipline rather than through social reform

- hierarchy and patriarchy to restore traditional values

- anti permissive - leads to immoral lifestyles, prevents social cohesion. reject multiculturalism

- pragmatism > principle, state intervenes in society despite wanting a small state elsewhere

neo cons on economy

- some state role

- pragmatism

- react to situation at hand rather than principle

e.g. intervention during economic crisis 2008

human nature disagreements between strands

- traditional, one nation and neoconservatives believe that humans are imperfect and do not have the intellectual capacity to make decisions for themselves / leads to permissiveness and criminal activity for neo cons

hobbes believes humans are irrational needy and easily lead, state must control this

burke thinks humans cannot cope with abstract principles

oakeshott thinks pragmatism > ideology

HOWEVER burke and oakeshott can believe society can be used to lessen human imperfection - hobbes thinks theres no way to change

- neo liberals believe that individuals are self interested but are capable of rational thought - rejects idea of human imperfection

rand thinks exactly this

nozick believes in self ownership

conservative disagreements on the size of state

small gov - hobbes, social contract theory. trading of social freedoms for state protection

increasing gov role - burke - change to conserve with intervention in society and economy

bigger role for gov - welfare, maintain social order

minimal state - limited to protect negative freedoms

neo conservatives - small state but is adamant on state in society to prevent permissiveness and violence (tough on law and order)

conservative disagreements in social contract in the state

- hobbes made it up obvi

- burke and oakeshott agree

- nozick however objects social contract theory state interference rejects liberal freedoms

conservative disagreements on the role of the state

- organic and authoritarian strong state

traditional - hobbes strong state needed to guarantee order and security

uphold traditional role of authoritarian leaders

neo con - needed to enforce law and order and prevent permissiveness. no welfare bcs dependency culture differs from neoliberals as they dont support negative freedom

- organic paternalism

one nation uphold law and order but prefer welfare support

- individualism

neoliberals (rand) believe in atomistic society, negative freedom, egotistical individualism. individual > state. believe in welfare if the individual wants it just not state provided

con disagreements on foreign policy

one nation - conciliatory

neoconservatives - interventionist. also for national security > cooperation

con disagreements on organic society vs egotistical individualism

- organic society, natural hierarchy, paternalism

traditional, one nation, paternalism