Conservatism
- Classical Conservatism
- Contemporary North America Conservatism
- Traditional Conservatism
- Individualist Conservatism
- Neo-Conservatism
- Social/Religious Conservatism
Key Ideas
- Differences between early or classical conservatives and self-proclaimed conservatives of recent years
- Opposed to “social engineering” of society by society, social groups, or government
- Humans are imperfect & no structure can make them perfect
- Government has a very limited or particular role in society
- A cautious approach to change — preferable to keep traditions
- Religious/divine aspect
- Inequality is a necessary fact of life
Classical Conservatism
- Sought to preserve some form of aristocratic society that was under attack by liberalism
- Defended traditional social hierarchy
- Insisted on the need for a strong enough state to restrain people’s passions
- Skeptical of attempts to promote individual freedom
- Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
Classical Conservatism: Burke
- Basis of the political ideas of conservatism
- Historical situation
- Developed his views in the heat of the French Revolution
- 1788-89 many observers in England hailed it as great for the cause of liberty
- Burke saw it as a dangerous, threatening enterprise
- Key Books
- 1790: Reflections on the Revolution in France
- Only incidentally about France
- More about the British liberals/radicals who would like to follow in France’s revolutionary footsteps
- Ideas:
- Humans are not rational, but rules by passions and desires
- About politics:
- Not a science, but an imprecise art
- You can try to rationalize & remake politics and society = terrible consequences inevitable
- Goal: order & stability
- Concerning society:
- Opposed liberal’s “atomistic conception of humans and society”
- Criticized Locke’s liberal view of society
- Organic: political society is a living and changing organism, a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
- Society is about intergenerational connected-ness, not a social contract
- Society has a “social fabric”: woven together, they are strong and beautiful, and may need patching & repair, but do NOT rip it ALL up
- Elitist: believes there are natural aristocrats; inequality among people is a fact of life
- Role of state/government:
- Government is to provide for human shortcomings: restrain passions, interests
- The state must be rooted in the customs and traditions of the people to be stable
- The people, through time, acquire the habit of obeying it
- Cannot change this lightly or easily
- No one best form to government: must reflect the particular history, habits of a particular people, serve their particular needs
- The conception of Freedom:
- Good only if controlled and put to good use
- People freed from all legal and traditional restraints can wreak chaos
- Negative freedom: individuals should be free to pursue their goals, but when their goals threaten the social order, freedom must be restricted
- * Society and Order come before individual freedom *
- Private property is a necessary, stabilizing, and conservative force in society
- People who own property, especially land, will have strong attachments to the society and government that protect their property
- Does not share Locke’s interest in ensuring that everyone can create their own property
Conservatism: 1800s
- Burkean classical conservatives: want to preserve the traditional features of existing society through cautious reform
- Reactionary conservatives: wanted to turn back the clock on reform of aristocratic order of society
- Cultural Conservatives:
- Believed greatest threat to English society came from the Industrial Revolution
- English conservatives concerned to protect traditional agricultural ways of life from the ravages of industry and commerce.
Contemporary North American Conservatism
- Conservatism in North America primarily sides with a laissez-faire capitalist economy & anti-communist
- Conservatism in North America is NOT rooted in Burkean classical conservatism, but in Classical liberalism (Locke & Smith)
- 3 types of conservatives:
- 1. Traditional
- 2. Neoconservatism
- 3. Religious Right
- 1. Traditional Conservatism (Burkean)
- Not very common in North America
- “Toryism”
- Additions to Burke’s ideas:
- Capitalism can dissolve the web of traditional relationships, so government must limit the economic competition of capitalism to preserve society
- Elite has a responsibility to shepherd society and to assist the poor
- 2. Neo-Conservatism
- Also called: Individualist Conservatism, Libertarian, Fiscal Conservatives, Social Darwinists
- North America and Western Europe
- Who: Robert Nozick, Margaret Thatcher, Thomas Sewell, Irving Kristol, Ronald Reagan,
- Differences from Traditional Conservatives:
- Society is a rough and tumble competitive marketplace
- Rugged individualism: people pulling themselves up by their bootstraps
- Freedom = compete, especially in the market
- Markets over society
- Drastically reduce government:
- Privatize public holdings
- Cut (if not eliminate) government programs
- Deregulate: remove state regulations designed to limit corporate actions
- Taxes lowered, flattened, or eliminated
- Inequality caused by capitalism = naturally resulting from competition, no need to rectify
- Minimal government: only help people become independent and self-sufficient
- Disagree with social/religious conservatives about intervening in the social affairs of people
- 3. Social/Religious Conservatives
- Christian fundamentalists, reactionaries
- Who: Charles Krauthammer, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Jimmy Swaggart
- Against the dangers of “Godless/atheistic communism”, “anti-traditional family feminism”, “sexual deviants”, “bleeding-heart liberals”, “anti-Christian heresy”, etc.
- Reaction against the changes the social changes of the 1960s-70s:
- Free speech movement on university campuses
- Women’s movement
- Civil rights movement
- Environmental movement
- Antiwar protests
- Urban riots
- Sees itself as rooted in the moral code of Christian fundamentalism: Bible is to be read literally, not symbolically
- Seek less government intervention in the economy, but want large, active government in other, social spheres of life:
- ban abortion
- set aside time for prayer in public schools
- restrict or outlaw certain sexual activities
- purge school and public libraries of materials they regard as morally offensive
Conservatism & Our Criteria
- Human Nature
- Society/community = focus
- Self-interested, but needs to be restrained
- Ruled by passions and desires not reason
- Naturally flawed & hierarchical
- Nature of Society
- “Social fabric” = woven community
- Community is more important than the individual
- Conception of Freedom
- negative — freedom from interference
- Understanding of Justice
- Equality before the law
- Never can achieve just society
- Traditional: elite’s duty to assist the least well off
- Neo-Conservatives: competitive system produces just results
- Social/Religious: linked to Biblical teachings
- The conception of the State/Government
- Limited role: restraint
- Classical conservatives: intervene in the economy to prevent unraveling social fabric
Social/religious: intervene in society to prevent unravelling social fabric
