Conservatism key concepts slideshow

Key Concepts

Hierarchy & organic society

• "Organic society" is a belief which became entrenched in traditional conservative thought in the late 1800s
• It was a reaction against the rise of liberal individualism
• Proposed society is a single entity not just a collection of individuals
• We're connected to each other through our humanity & common membership of the community
• Seen as a superior reality to our own individual interests
• Ideal is where goals & aspirations of the individual coincide with that of the whole society (Margaret Thatcher challenged this idea saying there "is no such thing as society", implying the goals of the individual are superior to that of the society
• Traditional conservatives believe there's a "natural" order into which everyone fits & that it's normal & natural that society should be divided by a number of strata
• The very rigid feudal system in no longer but the belief remained that some kind of class system is inevitable
• Hierarchy like this supports organic society as it creates order & stability, which individualistic society lacks
• Different parts of the hierarchy have different roles that complement each other
• This implies ordered inequality, where those at the the upper levels take responsibility for the welfare of those at the lower levels (noblesse oblige)
• Idea of hierarchy is now out of date but organic society remains a key idea for many conservatives, like supporters of Cameron's style of "compassionate conservatism"

Individualism

• It's lost much of it's value & distinctiveness now as it's a value shared by liberals, most European democratic parties & the British Labour Party
• Individual liberty (a distinctly liberal concept) refers to the extent to which our activities, as groups or individuals, are constrained by laws, customs & moral codes ed in Western democracies the right to freedom of worship
• Individualism is a more positive concept referring to choice, opportunity & self fulfillment, saying each individual should be presented with the widest possible range of choices & opportunities
• The state should restrict these choices as little as possible, providing a link with liberal freedom
• It also implies a sense of privacy & for conservatives there should be a strong barrier between public & private / individual spheres
• For conservatives the individual can best flourish in a stable social, moral & economic environment
• The continuity provided by these gives the individual the best environment in which to best play their roles securely

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