Conservatism

Conserving the past Conservatism is a bit like all of the other ideologies that we have discussed, in that it is an ideology which is built on a paradox. That paradox is that Conservatives are not against change. Although the name is Conserve-ative- they are trying to conserve the past – that does not mean that they are trying to prevent all change. Conserve means to protect the principles of the past – but change is necessary in order to do that.

Change should evolve Conservatives accept that change is inevitable, but what matters is that change should occur in an appropriate manner – change is the only way to conserve that which is worth conserving. What is really important to Conservatives is that it is not the wrong type of change. Conservatism is about maintenance – it actually advocates change, but in the form of ongoing repair and development rather than outright demolition and the construction of something entirely new. This all fits in with the idea of society as being like an organic structure -no living thing can remain in the same state -things have to change, and there has to be ongoing maintenance.

French Revolution Conservatism was a reaction to the enlightenment and the liberal politics that developed at that time. The enlightenment was all about reason and progress, the idea that we could create an ideal society However the violence of the French Revolution, and the threat posed to peace across Europe at this time meant that Conservatism rose as a counterbalance to these political forces.

Human Nature The conservative view of human nature is defined by its response to liberalism and socialism. Both of these ideologies have positive view of human nature -seeing humans as having the capacity to improve and achieve. Conservatives on the other hand see humans as imperfect, and imperfectible. Conservatives deny any possibility of a perfect, utopian society -they believe that they have a common sense view of what humans are like rather than what they could be like. They are just telling it how it is.

Human nature - Con vs Soc Conservatives therefore are against the view of humans that socialists have- that we are all a product of our environment and humans could be made better if we improved society. For Conservatives, human nature is pretty much fixed-we are basically born petty and selfish and need to be controlled like toddlers to prevent us doing awful things to each other.

Human nature – con vs Lib Edmund Burke rejected the idea that human nature was guided mainly by reason and dismissed any idea that mankind could plan a near effect society. Burke based his ideas on Christian principles of original sin - what we may seek to do, and what we are actually capable of doing are two very different things – we will always be dragged back by selfishness and ego. Custom, habits and experience teach us how to behave -what has worked in the past will continue to work.

Conflict within conservatism – human nature Thomas Hobbes had basically said that humans are essentially born bad, and life without strong government would be “nasty, brutish and short”. However, Burke was not quite as pessimistic as Hobbes - he did accept that humans are capable of kindness, altruism and even wisdom – as long as their actions were opted in the teachings of history and the Church. Thus the elderly and the rich who had more education and experience and more ability to act altruistically, should be more respected. Michael Oakeshott – another key conservative thinker argued that conservative ideology is about a preference for what is known and a fear of uncertainty. We crave routine and order. We can be kind when we have been taught this way, and imbued with Christian values. Burke also believed that humans are not individualistic – we all survive best in communities. We get support and comfort in small communities

New Right – human nature The New Right – in the 20th century – went back to the more Hobbesian, pessimistic view of human nature, Robert Nozick claimed that we are “freedom loving pack animals” so we might crave freedom, but we actually have to live together - and we need the restraint of formal authority and deep- rooted communities

Society Traditionally Conservatives do accept that society exists – although this is an area where there is crossover between the New Right and Classical Liberalism which tends to have an atomistic view. Traditional conservatives see society as a collection of localised communities – which he referred to as little platoons. These communities provide people with security, status and inspiration and this helps to limit our ability to be selfish. Society is an organic structure which emerges gradually over time – so this is how conservatism is different from socialism and liberalism and any ideas they might have about humans being able to rationally create a better society especially through any form of revolution.

Compared to liberalism and conservatism Society is unplanned and therefore human life is subject to complex forces that cannot be understood by the human mind. Society is not like a machine, it cannot be manipulated by pulling levers, you can’t take out broken bits and add new parts – it is organic and grows in a way that can never really be predicted.

Non-ideological Conservatives are pragmatic, this means that they are not ideological in thinking about how society “ought” to be. They see themselves as dealing with things as they are – as having common sense. There is no sense of trying to create a more equal future, it is about tying to cope with the situation here and now .

Tradition The effectiveness of society can be judged by the importance that it places on tradition. Customs and traditions are used to provide security in an uncertain world. “Just as a plant’s new leaves are connected to, dependent on and explained by the plant’s roots and branches, so a society’s present direction stems from its past development” – Oakeshott Change has to be slow, not drastic, respectful of the past.

Hierarchy Liberals believe that all humans are born equal, and all are of equal worth. However, Conservatives don’t see things this way. For Conservatives, the imperfections in humanity mean that there are inevitably going to be inequalities within human nature. This leads to an unequal society – where the “wiser, stronger and more opulent” (Burke) establish a hierarchy of privilege. This is completely natural -even the smallest community will have a hierarchical structure of power. Conservatives believe that this power brings with it responsibility – this is known as paternalism or noblesse oblige for one nation Conservatives. The relationship between society’s stronger elements and its weaker elements is akin to the relationship between a father and his children, with the former having a natural – indeed organic – responsibility for the latter.

Property For Conservatives property is closely tied to support for tradition and continuity. Rather than being something acquired by autonomous individuals, property is something which inherited by one generation from another. This provides a degree of stability in an imperfect world. Inherit i.e. do. Property is a sign that society is a “partnership between those who are living, those who are dead and those who are yet to be born” We have to maintain society in the same way as we have to maintain our property.

Those who have property have a stake in society- and should also have concern for those who are less fortunate. Property provides a way that people can exercise a duty of care towards others-and maintain existing society. The New Right are even more keen on property, they want to extend property ownership throughout society – creating a property owning democracy. Those who own property are more likely to oppose revolution against inequality

The State While liberals and socialists see the state as more of a negative thing – trying to maintain control over people, or protecting the unfair inequality in society. For conservatives the state is there to provide safety, security and authority. Conservatives believe that without order there can be no liberty, and there could be no order if there wasn’t clear, undisputed laws backed by firm authority. A Conservative state is also one that acknowledges hierarchy through a ruling class – power may be aristocratic and hereditary rather democratic.