Conservatives principles

Question 1

what do conservatives believe about pragmatism?

Answer 1

• Decisions are not linked to a set of ideological principles, but instead are reactionary
• ‘to be a conservative is to prefer the tried rather than the untried’ Michael Oaskeshott
• it acknowledges that change is necessary but it needs to be slow
• This means that practice precedes theory in conservative politics
• This because conservatives view humans as imperfect and therefore there are no overarching ideological principles to guide our actions because the political world is ‘bottomless and boundless’

Question 2

what do conservatives believe about human imperfection?

Answer 2

they believe that humans are flawed to some degree - this idea comes from Thomas Hobbes who held a pessimistic view of nature
Traditional, one nation and neo-conservatives believe that humans are imperfect but they believe that society can help
Any ideology that works against the grain of human nature in order to establish a utopia will inevitably end in dystopia

Question 3

what do conservatives believe about tradition?

Answer 3

• it refers to the things that have developed over time such as institutions, customs, values and ways of behaviour
  if such institutions and practices have survived over time and are still of use they should be preserved so that current future generations can benefit from them ‘society is a partnership between not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead and those yet to be born’

Question 4

What is paternalism?

Answer 4

• The belief that society has a natural hierarchy that is formed as the dominant part of organic society
  the ruling elite had a duty of care, a paternal responsibility
  there are two types of conservatism and soft paternalism which entails a paternal attitude towards those whose actions are insufficently voluntary to be their own (i.e Boris encouraging people to stay at home)
  hard paternalism (laws to ensure drivers wear seat belts) concerns actions who are sufficiently voluntary to be their own