Conservatism

Question 1

Thomas Hobbs – state of nature, necessity of a strong state to provide order, negative view of human imperfection

Answer 1

State of nature “solitary poor nasty and brutish“

Question 2

Edmund Burke – organic Society, tradition, important to preserving hierarchy, human imperfection makes people unsuitable to designing systems of governance or society PRESERVING TADITION

Answer 2

Society is “a partnership between the living and the dead“

Question 3

Edmund Burke – rejection of atomism, organic society, redirecting human imperfection, opposition to the individual individualism of neoconservatism

Answer 3

“Little platoons“

Question 4

Benjamin Disraeli– support for paternalism and noblesse oblige, acceptance of hierarchy and inequality, increased role of the state Keynesian economics

Answer 4

“The palace isn’t safe if the cottage isn’t happy”

Question 5

Michael Oakeshott – human imperfection means that we can’t design utopian systems, rejection of traditional view of human imperfection, softening of human nature, humans are not inherently evil

Answer 5

State of nature would be “noisy foolish and flawed“

Question 6

Michael Oakeshott – pragmatism and empiricism, preference for tradition, organic society, preservation of institutions, human imperfection means that they cannot design perfect systems

Answer 6

“To be conservative is to prefer the familiar to the unknown“

Question 7

Edmund Burke – the relief that hierarchy fosters stability, ruling class knows what’s best everyone else should follow, tradition, empiricism, hierarchy

Answer 7

“We look up with awe to Kings”

Question 8

Edmund Burke – emphasis on ordering security need for a strong state to prevent the state of chaos, hierarchy pragmatism tradition to offset human imperfection

Answer 8

“Good order is the foundation to all good things“