Conservatism: Core Political Ideas and Principles

Vocabulary flashcards covering core conservative principles, key thinkers, tensions within the movement, and additional socioeconomic terminology as presented in the lecture transcript.

Hierarchy

The means by which members of society are stratified or layered relative to others based upon social class and occupation; it is considered a functional prerequisite for society to effectively function.

Little Platoon

A term used by Edmund Burke to describe the specific level or group in society to which an individual belongs and should show affection.

Authority

The ability, power, or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce compliance with those decisions and laws, associated with a person or organization having control.

Social Contract (Conservative)

The agreement of members of society to cooperate for the benefit of wider society, often by sacrificing some personal freedoms in return for state protection.

Traditional Authority

A form of authority defined by Max Weber that reflects the customs of a particular society, exemplified by institutions like the army and the monarchy.

The Prince ($1532$)

A seminal work by Niccolo Machiavelli arguing that people need authority to prevent social collapse and that it is better for a statesman to be feared than loved.

Thomas Hobbes

A seventeenth-century philosopher ($1588-1679$) who argued that life in a state of nature, without a sovereign authority, would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short."

Leviathan

The dominant authority or state figure proposed by Thomas Hobbes that prevents anarchy and ensures contracts are upheld.

Change to Conserve

The conservative principle that change is necessary in order for society to function, emphasizing values that encourage cohesion between social elements.

Atomism

The view that society is composed of individuals who are self-interested, equal, and rational, and whose actions combine into a cohesive whole.

Big Society

A modern UK example of conservative thought aiming to bring various members of a nation together through shared values like neighbourliness and custom.

Pragmatism

A flexible approach to society where decisions are made on the basis of "what works," entailing a complete rejection of ideology.

One-nation Conservatism

A school of thought associated with Benjamin Disraeli that seeks social harmony and unity through paternalism and a safety net for the less fortunate.

New Right

A school of thought that emerged in the $1970s$ combining neo-liberal economic policy with neo-conservative social authoritarianism.

Thatcherism

A non-pragmatic ideological outlook characterized by privatisation, deregulation, lower taxation, and the creation of a property-owning democracy.

Tradition

The accumulated wisdom of past societies and institutions that provide reassurance and ensure change occurs on an evolutionary basis.

Paternalism

Benign power exerted from above by the state or an elite, who govern in the best interests of the people, associated with the concept of noblesse oblige.

Noblesse Oblige

The French term for the principle that status and privilege entail a responsibility to help those less fortunate within society.

Human Imperfection

The conservative view that humans are flawed, psychologically needy, steered by baser instincts, and intellectually limited.

Organic Society

A view that society evolves gradually over time like an organism to meet the needs of its members, rather than being artificially constructed.

Libertarianism

A strand of conservatism seeking to maximize autonomy and free choice, particularly through free-market, laissez-faire economics.

Soft Paternalism

A paternal attitude toward those whose actions are not sufficiently voluntary, such as children or the elderly.

Hard Paternalism

Laws and actions that override an individual's voluntary decisions for their own good, such as mandating the use of seat-belts.

Anti-permissiveness

Opposition to social or legal changes that allow behavior deemed harmful to the social fabric, such as the decline of the conventional nuclear family.

Radicalism

The belief in significant or extreme social and political change through revolution, which conservatives generally oppose.

Laissez-faire

An economic system based on private ownership where the government avoids interfering in the economy.

Trickle-down effect

The economic theory that activity generated by high-income earners eventually benefits all of society through growth and investment.

Empiricism

An epistemological approach claiming that knowledge comes primarily from experience and tradition rather than abstract rationalism.

Objectivism

Ayn Rand's theory ($1905-1982$) advocating the virtues of rational self-interest and a pure laissez-faire capitalist economy.

Rational Egoism

The theory that it is rational for an individual to act on the basis of their own self-interest.

Robert Nozick

A libertarian-right philosopher ($1938-2002$) who advocated for a minimal state and absolute individual sovereignty.

Legalised Theft

Robert Nozick's description of wealth redistribution via taxation, arguing it reduces the individual to the status of a slave.

Cycle of Deprivation

A New Right term for families living below the poverty line across generations, often attributed to the welfare state trapping claimants.

Dependency Culture

A situation linked to the welfare state that undermines individual responsibility and traps individuals in the benefits system.

Deserving Poor

A Victorian-era term revived to describe members of society who are in poverty through little or no fault of their own.

Marketisation

The use of market forces and private sector principles within the welfare state to increase efficiency.

Patriotism

A firm attachment to national identity which conservatives value as a unifying force across society.

Doctrine

A strongly held collection of beliefs that is less comprehensive in scope than a full ideology.