pragmatism

conservatism

aims to conserve society as it is and is suspicious of change

pragmatism

rejects ideology and theory in favour of decisions made on the basis of practical experience and “what works”

Pragmatism 2

* it implies a flexible political approach that considers what is acceptable to, and in the best interest of the people
* and what ensures social stability and cohesion
* according to Edmund Burke, “example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no other”

similarly, Oakeshott said: “to be a conservative is to prefer the tried to the untried”

human nature

* humans lack the intellectual ability to fully understand the complex realities of the world. theories, abstract ideas, or ideologies that claim to “explain” or “improve” the condition of human life are rejected as potentially destabilising.

society

* abstract ideas and principles such as “equality” and “rights” are dangerous because they can lead to radical change (often through revolution) that produces worse rather than better conditions.

state

* a pragmatic approach that emphasises caution, moderation, gradualism, and continuity will introduce necessary change or reform without endangering social cohesion or stability

economy

* the one nation conservative approach to the economy is described below

Traditional conservative

* such as Burke argue that cautious pragmatism enables society to adapt to changing circumstances by introducing moderate changes/reforms rather than reject change completely
* they want to minimise a risk of a revolution
* a key aim of this change to conserve policy is to safeguard the essential features of society such as property, order, tradition and established institutions such as the monarchy

one nation conservatism

* adopt a pragmatic “middle way” economic policy that combines market competition with government regulation.
* they argue that this promotes growth and social stability by creating wealth through the private sector and generating the funding for state welfare provision