Conservatism

Conservatism

1. Society

   • Agreement
     • Hierarchy = Stable
       • Prefer Status Quo
       • Natural hierarchy
     • Property rights provide stability
     • Society cannot be created
     • Wish to avoid radical change
     • Rights come with duties
   • Traditional
     • Burke
       • Change to conserve
     • Natural hierarchy
       • Natural aristocracy
     • Tradition grounds us
   • One Nation
     • Organic society
     • Reduce class divides
     • Noblesse oblige
       • Ruling class has paternalistic duty to care for lower class
     • Social reforms to counter capitalism cons
       • Pragmatism
   • New Right
     • Neoconservative
       • Traditional values = eroded in organic society
       • Anti permissiveness
       • Ideological approach to change
       • Meritocracy
     • Neoliberal
       • Atomistic society
         • Individuals valued more than society
       • Prefer reason when changing society

2. State

   • Traditional
     • Burke
       • Change to conserve
       • Political power to those who were born to rule
         • Natural aristocracy
     • Organic authoritarianism
       • Strong state
         • Adapt to be pragmatic
       • Oversees society with tradition and common culture
   • One Nation
     • State involvement to maintain equalibrium
     • Paternalism
       • Organic paternalism
         • Prefer welfarism to maintain social order
     • Dovish foreign intervention policy
       • Rarely use military force
   • New Right
     • Neoliberal
       • Minimal state
         • Not infringe on personal freedom
         • Negative liberty
         • Growth of state = greatest threat to individual freedom
         • Night watchman
       • Economic and welfare issues on the individual
         • Individual freedom
           • Taxation infringes
       • Against dependency culture
     • Neoconservative
       • Organic authoritarianism
       • Hawkish foreign policy
         • Frequently use military force
       • Larger state on social issues
         • Maintain order and security
         • Anti permissiveness
           • Reverse social liberalism
   • Agreement
     • Shouldn't disrupt natural hierarchy
     • Provide security
     • Promote law and order

3. Human Nature

   • Agreement
     • Humans = imperfect
       • Pessimistic
     • Morally selfish
       • Original sin from the Bible
     • Reality = beyond human understanding
     • Security driven
       • Rely on culture and tradition for identity
       • Authority needs to be emphasised
         • Imperfect Humans can't change
   • Traditional
     • Hobbes
       • State of Nature: nasty, brutish and short
     • Empiricism
       • Experience passed down generations
   • One Nation
     • Society can combat human imperfection
     • Strong legal frameworks to protect innocents
   • New Right
     • Neoconservative
       • Authority and Empiricism
       • Human morality eroded by liberal views
         • Homosexuality
         • Abortion
     • Neoliberal
       • Egotistical individualism
         • Naturally selfish
       • Negative liberty
       • More optimistic

4. Economy

   • Agreement
     • Private property is vital
       • Gives individuals a stake in society
       • Reduces dependency culture
   • New Right
     • Neoliberal
       • Reject paternalism
       • Laissez faire economics
         • Roll back state involvement
         • Free market
       • Abolish excessive welfare
         • Dependency culture
       • Limit trade union power
     • Neoconservative
       • Pragmatism over ideology
     • Friedman
       • Monetarism
         • Control money supply
         • Limit inflation
           • Public spending cuts
       • Keynesian economics causes inflation
   • Traditional
     • More pragmatic
     • Sceptical of laissez-faire economics
     • Private property
       • Moral wellbeing
       • Self-actualisation
   • One Nation
     • Pragmatic
     • Keynesian economics
     • Mixed economy