Conservatism

Hobbes (Trad) on HN

• Cynical, humans are selfish and driven by a restless desire for supremacy and security

Hobbes on state

• State must be autocratic and awesome to serve its’ purpose.

Hobbes on society

• No society without state to bring authority and control affairs, before then, life is ‘nasty, short and brutish’

Hobbes on economy

• Economic activity is impossible without state guaranteeing order and security (state is essential)

Burke (Trad) on HN

• Sceptical, there is a gap between aspiration and current achievement

• Can perceive perfection but can never reach it

Burke on state

• State arises organically and should be aristocratic, driven by hereditary elite

Burke on society

• Society is organic and multi-faceted (little platoons)

Burke on economy

• Organic free market and laissez-faire economics

Oakeshott (One-Nation) on HN

• Modest, humanity is at its’ best when free from grand designs and focuses on everyday life (anti-idealistic)

Oakeshott on state

• Should be guided by traditional and practical concerns

• Pragmatism, NOT dogmatism

Oakeshott on society

• Localised communities are essential when guided by short term, realistic requirements

Oakeshott on economy

• Free markets and unpredictable and volatile, may require pragmatic moderation from state

Rand on HN

• objectivist

• guided by rational self-interest and self-fulfilment

Rand on state

• state should confine itself to law, order and national security

• Attempts to promote positive liberty should be resisted

Rand on society

• Atomistic

• Mere sum of individuals living amongst each other

Rand on economy

• Free market capitalism should NOT be intervened with by the state

Nozick on HN

• egotistical, driven by idea of self-ownership and therefore releasing self-potential

Nozick on state

• Minarchist state (night-watchman state)

Nozick on society

• Geared to individual self-fulfilment

• May lead to plethora of small communities reflecting members’ opinions

Nozick on economy

• Minarchist state should detach itself from privatised and deregulated economy

All on HN

• Imperfect and irrational

Pragmatism

Change to conserve

Paternalism/Noblesse Oblige

• Fatherly obligations of the more abled to help the less abled

Conservatism emergence

• From the American and French Revolutions in a way to conserve change and avoid revolution

• Implemented primarily through the industrialisation due to poor working conditions etc

• Seen as reactionary rather than an ideology