Conservatism Core Themes

-Some conservatives > Religion 'God given' (aka Modern Fundamentalists)

Most dont though. Harder now because of old>new like universal sufferage and free elections. Challenging the will of God is bad.

BURKE: believed that society was shaped by 'the law of our creator' 

BURKE: society is partnership between 'those who are living, those who are dead and those who are to be born'

-Tested by time (almost Darwinian 'natural selection').

Monarchy = historial wisdom and experience and national loyalty.

-Generates a sense of identity.

Familiar + reassuring= social cohesion, people need to know where they stand and who they are to be happy.

O SULLIVAN: 'Philosophy of human imperfection'

-Human beings are both imperfect and unperfectable

-Psychologically limited

-Morally imperfect

-Intellectually limited   OAKESHOTT: political world is 'boundless and bottomless' 

-Suspicious of abstract ideas and beliefs. Prefer to ground ideas in tradition, history and experience

-Avoid, if possible, doctrinaire or dogmatic beliefs

-Reform and revolution is bad (Oakeshott 'the cure is not worse than the disease)

-Support for traditionalism and prgmatism weakened with rise of New Right (commitment ti abstract theories and principles> economic liberalism, dismantling inherited welfarist an dinterventionalist structures for the free market)

-People desperately need to belong/ have roots in society

-Part of social groups that nurture him or her (family, friends, peer group)

-Provide individual life with security and meaning aka social conservatism

-Freedom is a willing acceptance of social obligations and ties by individuals who recognise their value. (parents and children, not constraining their liberty just providing guidance for the kids benefit)

-Holds society together

-Organicism: society is a living thing whose parts work together just as in human organism. Fragile set of relationships between and among it's parts, which once damaged can result in the organisms death. 

-If society is organic it's structures and institutions have been shaped by forces beyond human conrol and understanding then they should be preserved. 

However New Right supports individualism.

-Society= naturally hierarchical 

-Social equality= unachievable and undesirable 

-Some people born with talent and skills others dont have

BURKE: embrace 'natural aristocracy' just as brain etc perform different functions in body, different classes perform different roles, all needed, in society. Must be leaders + followers.

-Working class dont have same living standards as employers but also dont have weight of peoples livlihoods and security on their shoulders.

-Authority= natural (ensures kids go to sleep, have good diet, warns of danger etc)

-People need guidance/security knowing whats expected of them and where they stand

-Leadership= inspires others. Disclipline= a willing and healthy respct for authority.

(Authoritarian conservatives- authroity is absolute and unquestionable)

Parents have authority over children but cant treat them however they want

Property: The ownership of physical goods or wealth, wether by private individuals/ groups of peopel/ the state.

-The ability to accumulate wealth is an important economic incentive

-Provides security, something to fall back on, protection. They encourage private savings and investment in property as money management

-Those who own property are more likely to respect the property of others-can be seen to promote cons. values law and order

-Property helps personality, people relize themselves reflected int he things they own (especially home is an intimate and personal posession)

Libertarian Cons- absolute right to use property as they choose. Others see it as part of socety passed down.