Chapter 3: Conservatism
(F) Day of the week: Monday Class: IS301 Created Time: November 16, 2020 1:57 PM Database: Class Notes Database Date: November 16, 2020 1:57 PM Days Till Date: Passed Last Edited Time: June 9, 2021 10:42 AM Type: Lecture, Reading Notes
1. Definition of Conservatism
They fear change (development, modernization) will uproot community spirit
- Traditional Value
- Custom
- Religious Institutions
- Current institutions & practices
Conservatism’s nature:
- It accepts human imperfections and an organic social structure
- Changes or development could disrupt societal integrity
Conservatism’s resist of new practices put obstacles to a nation’s development
Traditional conservatism: believes in existing institutions and values
The new right: believes in the combination of economic liberalism and authoritarianism
2. Origin and Development
|Edmund Burke’s reflection on French revolution: regret change
- UK conservatives believed Burke’s idea of willing to “change in order to convers”
|19th Century: European countries used conservatism to preserve monarchy and tyrannical values
|After WWII: conservative countries accepted reform and democracy
|Japan: is the only country outside Europe to promote private business while maintaining traditional values and customs
1970s New Right
In 1970s, fear of welfare states and economic management pushed the idea of the new right
Conservatism was divided into two:
- Traditional conservatism: to strictly protect the existing traditions and structure while rejecting new and reformative ideas. (paternalistic)
- The new right: seeked the balance between tradition and free market economy while never abandoning tradition, authority and discipline. (libertarian)
3. Ideal Conservative Visions
1. Traditional & Religious Morality
Preserve traditional/religious values, institutions.
States should play a bigger role in efforts to preserve these.
What stood the test of time should be preserved:
- Marriage
- Religious traditions/institutions…
2. Social Order
Wants to preserve the existing societal systems
- Social Norms
- System of Governance
Original Sin of Man: individuals, without restriction, will cause chaos and take advantage of each other, producing chaos.
3. Cultural Ethnocentrism
Conservatism rejects Universalism
Reject the use of own system of belief to judge another’s value and way of life.
- Reject universal declaration of human rights of the UN
4. Liberty & Equality as a political value
when everyone has rights to exercise their rights and freedom, they will lose their individualism.
Conservatism: make everyone in society a cultured person
To have a sense of and know your position in society
Conservatism in External Perspectives
Other groups uses conservative principles to back up their claims such as Environmentalists and Feminist’s
Various Strands of Conservatism
Left-Wing Conservatism
similar to liberal conservatism
They agree in economic and religious claims in classical liberalism
Agree with social welfare and equality of socialism
Disagree with market mechanism of liberalism?
Discussion
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Why and to what extent does conservatives support traditions?
They support tradition because it has survived the test of time, therefore the stability should be preserved. People of the past who created them should be honored by continuation of practice.
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Is conservatism a ‘disposition’ rather than a political ideology?
Nature: people are born with same values they will carry the rest of their lives.
Nurture: people are born as blank pages, where society and the community will write and shape who you’ll grow into