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Is conservatism a coherent ideology (24 marker)
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Is conservatism a coherent ideology
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To what extent is conservatism a coherent ideology? You must use appropriate thinkersyou have studied to support your answer. (24)
Conservatism is an ideology about ‘change to conserve.’ They believe that change is inevitable
but that it should happen in an appropriate manner. They all agree on: a pessimistic view of
human nature, an organic society, a need for hierarchy, law and order and the importance of
owning property. Because they agree on these elements, it could be argued that conservatism
is a coherent ideology. However, there are some fundamental differences within conservatism,
such as their view of the economy and society, which means conservatism can’t be considered
a coherent ideology. A key conservative thinker, Michael Oakeshott, wrote that conservatism is
more ‘psychology than ideology’.
Conservatism could be considered a coherent ideology as there are aspects which most
conservatives agree on, for example a negative view of human nature. They agree that human
nature is fragile and fallible, and that without a form of authority to govern them, their lives would
be ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short’- as said by Hobbes in his book ‘Leviathan’ (1651).
This view is sometimes called the ‘philosophy of human imperfection’. Most conservatives agree
with this and use this idea to determine how the state should govern- with strong authority. An
exception to this is neo-liberals who have a more positive view of the state of nature. They
believe that the state should have large amounts of authority in order to provide its primary
function of law, order, security. Authority is very important as it enables those at the top to
efficiently govern people. Law and order is important to most conservatives, who agree with
Hobbes’ view that without order, there would be ‘natural chaos’ as people are not free from
harm. They think that there can be no order until there is authority, as they believe the view of
the state precedeeding society. They also agree on the idea of an ‘organic society’- that society
is not something that can be changed or created but rather something that emerges gradually
and evolves by itself. Conservatives think that society will grow and develop naturally, and that
attempts by liberals or socialists to change it artificially would lead to disasters like revolutions
and dictatorships. Conservatives also agree that because humans are imperfect, inequalities in
society are inevitable, therefore creating a natural hierarchy. A supporter of this view, Edmund
Burke, wrote in his book ‘Reflections on the Revolution in France’ (1790) in which he says that
‘the wiser, stronger and more opulent’ have a natural privilege and power in society. Most
conservatives stress the importance of private property. This is because tradition and continuity
is important for conservatives and property is often inherited through generations. The
inheritance of property is seen as a materialised expression of Burke’s belief that the ideal
society is a ‘partnership between those who are living, those who are dead and those who are
yet to be born.’ People who own property are seen as having a ‘stake in society’ which
establishes their worth in society. Overall, although conservatism could be seen as a coherent
ideology because most conservatives have a negative view of human nature, and place an
importance on organic society, hierarchy, authority, law and order and the importance of
property, neo-liberals disagree on some major aspects, such as the negative view on human
nature, emphasising that with the reduction of the state, humans can express their freedom and
individuality. They place more emphasis on the individual, but agree that the best way to be able
to achieve individualism is in a hierarchical and traditional society as it provides security and
discipline for the individual. (However, it must be recognised that the neoconservative strain of
the New Right is more in line with the traditional negative view of human nature)
However, there are points which contradicts the view that conservatism is a coherent ideology.
Conservatism is a reactive ideology - it reacts to current trends in history, the economy and
society. Consequently, conservatives writing at different times are reacting to different
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