key thinkers Flashcards
(24 cards)
when was Hobbes alive?
1588-1679
what was Hobbes’ book?
Leviathan
overall view of the state’s function:
-mankind would eventually realise that the state of nature was harmful to self-interest therefore they would agree to a ‘contract’
-individuals would consent to a sovereign state that made laws, thus allowing humans to have a sort of order and security
-a society would then emerge
-state would have to be autocratic to fulfil its function
-PRINCIPAL REASON FOR THE STATE = the creation of order and security
when was Burke alive?
1729-1797
what was Burke’s book?
reflections on the revolution in france
what was Burke’s view on how change should occur?
-should occur organically and gradually
-should only be in response to circumstances that mean said change is necessary - change should be based on fact and experience and so should be reactionary
-change should only occur to conserve tradition, order and stability
-revolutionary change e.g. french revolution, which Burke opposed, brough chaos and disrupted order
when was Oakeshott alive?
1901-1990
what was Oakeshott’s view of human nature?
-view on human nature based on his philosophy of imperfection - not philosophy of pessimism
-humans are fallible and imperfect but they’re not terrible and immoral - therefore humans don’t need authority to guide their morals
-humans have the capacity to do good
-humans have an empirical and pragmatic approach and achieve wisdom through experience rather than abstract philosophy
when was Rand alive?
1905-1982
what element of the new right was Rand especially associated with?
atomism - society is just a loose collection of independent individuals
why is she seen as a libertarian?
-defended the free markets and the individual’s right to choose e.g. in areas of homosexuality - but she didn’t personally agree with it
Rand’s key ideas:
-focus on the individual - they are the energy that drives society
-neo-liberal - wanted to roll back the frontiers of the state, promoted privatisation and tax cuts
-still a need for the small state
-individuals are bad in the state of nature but they have potential
when was Nozick alive?
1938-2002
what did nozick believe about the growth of the welfare state?
fostered a dependency culture
what was Nozick’s main book?
anarchy, state and utopia
how is Nozick seen as a libertarian?
-argues that the individual should be left alone in not just the economic sphere but also the social and cultural sphere
-therefore he’s tolerant of a liberal permissive society
what sort of state did Nozick believe in?
minarchist state - aka a shell of a state which mainly involved outsourcing public services to private companies
what’s the purpose of a minarchist state for Nozick?
-it would allow self-sufficient communities to emerge alongside the extension of individual freedom aka an updated version of Burke’s view of society comprising of little platoons
what’s Nozick’s view of human nature?
-optimistic - very different to traditional conservatives
-e.g. his claim that tax for the most part is theft indicates an upbeat view that individuals have self ownership - they are the sole authors of their talents and should be left alone to realise them without gov. intervention
but what proves that nozick is a conservative?
-he said that the preservation of life, liberty and property could not be taken for granted with some formal authority enforcing laws
