CONSERVATISM

Core Ideas + Principles

  • pragmatism —> ‘what matters is what works’

    • reject ideology + dogma —> instead accept best route to solving problem = not necessarily what ones own ideological belief says.

      • examples: Camerons party changed policies based on coalition comprimises between 2010 andd 2015 —> argued because party changed ideas to most electorally and socially pragmatic policies

  • one nation and new right —> highly pragmatic way of governing

    • much more ideological + recquires firm leadership to steer government and country into neo-liberalism

  • Tradition —> beleive that events in the past hold knowledge for people within the present

    • beleive that pateranlism and hierachy are closely linked in that the people in history who have ruled [often of a higher class to whom they are ruling] generally know what is best for the people they are ruling.

      • new right conservatism however rejected lots of ideas of tradition

  • Organic change

    • idea that social change should not be radical or mechanistic [liberal idea where the interatctions of rational individuals change the way soceity works]

    • soceity rather eveloes through organic process + political processes and leaders emerge as a result of this organic process

    • society itself is more important than the individual parts within it

    • organic change = gradual rather than revolutionary + is supported by those of which wish to preserve order within society.

  • revolutionary change

    • beleive that revolutionary change disrupts order + heircay and so = dangeraous to law and order + private property

    • soceity = constantly eveolving and revolution does not solve society’s problems

    • society functions better + = safer if the change = gradual.

  • Human imperfection

    • reject ideas from the englightment regarding tryiong to improve human nature, arguing that human nature cannot be perfected

    • goes against liberal idea of human rationality that humans are rational creatures that become more fulfilled when given the freedom to make their own choices

    • humans = imperfect —> meaning they are unable to make good decisions for themselves

  • Physocoligical imperfection —> the presence of our brains mean we are not necessarult rational

    • humans behave in ways taht are familiar + comforting rather than thigns thay may be better for us

    • humans = attracted to safety, comfort and order rather than radical ideas + change

      • order + hierachy in soceuty should be preserved

      • institutions that protect order + hieracy should be preserved

  • moral imperfection

    • humans hae flawed characteristics + therfore cannot alwasys act rationallty/ perfectly

    • leads to conservative view of crime as being result of flawed moral charactersistic rather than inquealities in the world

    • beleive in behaviour regulation througn the law as result of moral imperfection

  • Intellectual imperfection

    • world around us = more complicated than our intellects are able to comprehend

    • disagrees w/ liberal view that our intellects are able to comprehend

    • we are unable to fully understand the soceity arouund us and attempoting to overahaul what already exists would not be succesful

  • organic soceity/state

    • society develops naturally rather than as a man made deveice and = therefore constantly changing

    • conservatives support gradual change —> belevie that scoeity will evolve to fit needs of the present

    • organic state links to conservative beleifs in authority beacuse those w/ authority have it because they are soceitys natural leaders

    • organic state links to cohesive sociey due to it suggesting that state unity is more than disagreements between the states individual parts

  • chagne to conserve

    • conservatives believe that is improtant to adapt to chanign cirmustances in society as long as these adaptations to conserve the basic princoles of social order, hierachy and tradition

    • for this reason —> many conservatives favour gradual + evolutionary change rather radical revolutionary change

    • change to conserve preserves the status quo whilst still ensurong conservative party remains relevant to the electorate.

      • examples: one nation conservatism [emerged as response to capatalism emerging within Britain during industrial revolution] —> Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli tried to bring soceity together to form one nation while upper classes ruling middle classes making money and the wroking classes producing goods.

      • womens vote —> conservative party introduced voting to a minorty of women in 1918 and then the vast majority of women in 1928 => a change reflecting a change to conserve by accpeting women as voters

  • Authority

    • authority = linked to ideas of paternalism + hiercahy —> there should be a social structure with people in charge of otehrs and those ppl act in the best interests of those they have authority over

    • links to idea of social contract —> whereby giving up some of our freedom, we gain securitythrough law and order

      • types of authority: [according to Max Webber]

      • charamatic authority —> authority comes from personality + charactersistics of the leader

      • rational-legal authority —> authority comes from legal system + rationalism

      • traditional aithority —> authority comes from tradition + acceptance of historcial state of affairs

  • Hiercachy

    • beleive that heiricial systems will be the most benneficial to the people inside them

    • we are all born with different merits + abilities and so some people are more suited to leadership + high status and otehrs are more suited to low status postions and job

    • conservatices beleive that revolutionary change and abonding hierachy is ignorant to this fact.

      • example: 2015: 14/28 cabinet members were privately educated

  • New right conservatism

    • accepts there are natural inequalities in society

    • don’t necessaruly want to preserve this order + hierachy

    • inqualities instead lead to people working harder and striving to importve their place in life

  • paternalism

    • belevies that some members of soceity should lead others and it is these people who have olbligations to those below them to look after their best interets

    • conservatives belevie in human imperfection which justifies paternailsm

    • humans may not always make the best choices by/for themselves therefore it is acceptable to act on behalf of other people

    • conservatives suppriot teh trustee model of representation rather than the delegate

Edmund Burk

  • supported ideas of tadition —> wrote 1789 french revolution about the dangers of rejecting ideas of the past

    • due to human imperfection - we cannot just create new society but must rather listen to teh lessons and teaching of the past and evolve organically to meet current needs