Conservatism

Question 1

What are the 5 core themes of conservatism?

Answer 1

1. Pragmatism
2. Tradition
3. Human imperfection
4. Organic society
5. Paternalism

Question 2

Who are the 5 conservatism key thinkers?

Answer 2

1. Thomas Hobbes
2. Edmund Burke
3. Michael Oakeshott
4. Ayn Rand
5. Robert Nozick

Question 3

What are the 4 strands of conservatism?

Answer 3

1. Traditional conservatism
2. Authoritarian conservatism
3. One-nation conservatism
4. New right

Question 4

Which 2 things is Thomas Hobbes known for?

Answer 4

1. The state of nature without authority is “poor, solitary, nasty, brutish, and short”
2. Social contract theory - people sacrifice freedom for law and order

Question 5

Which 5 things is Edmund Burke known for?

Answer 5

1. Tradition is “the law of our creator”
2. “Natural aristocracy” and “born leaders”
3. “Change to conserve”
4. “Society should be a partnership between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born”
5. Free market is natural as it reflects our desire for wealth

Question 6

Which 2 things is Michael Oakeshott known for?

Answer 6

1. The political world is “boundless and bottomless”
2. Conservatism is about realism

Question 7

Which 3 things is Ayn Rand known for?

Answer 7

1. “If one recognises the supremacy of reason and applies it consistently, all the rest follows”
2. Objectivists are not conservatives
3. Pure capitalist, laissez-faire economy

Question 8

Which 2 things is Robert Nozick known for?

Answer 8

1. Welfare is “on a par with forced labour”
2. Individual rights do not leave much room for the state

Question 9

Which 2 strands of conservatism have the most links to pragmatism?

Answer 9

1. Traditional conservatives
2. One-nation conservatives

Question 10

In which 3 ways do conservatives believe humans are imperfect?

Answer 10

1. Morally
2. Intellectually
3. Psychologically

Question 11

What do conservatives believe about human nature?

Answer 11

Humans are limited and security-seeking creatures, drawn to the familiar

Question 12

What is organic society?

Answer 12

The concept that society should be treated like a living thing

Question 13

What is noblesse oblige and which conservative strands promote it most?

Answer 13

Traditional and one-nation conservatives - the aristocracy has a duty to care for the less fortunate in society as they are the only ones who can