Conservatism - key terms in conservative philosophy

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Conservatism ‘key words’

Authoritarianism – Strong authority imposed from above is necessary or desirable and therefore demands unquestioning obedience. ‘Harsh’ form of social control via the legal system and criminal policies.. Thatcher’s slogan ‘TINA’ is associated very much with authoritarianism. It translates into ‘There Is No Alternative’ – we must be harsh!

New Right – An ideological trend within conservatism that embraces a blend of the laissez-faire economics and social authoritarianism. (Reagan + Thatcher) New Right conservatism is an amalgam of neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism. In this combination exist two counter ideologies which ultimately go hand-in-hand to make each other work; Classical liberalism and Traditional conservatism. Traditional conservatism is much about the community as a whole working together to create social cohesion. In Traditional conservatism the individual should work, be disciplined and have a sense of self-realisation. Authoritarian rules can cater for individualism by moulding a social matrix within which autonomous peoples can pursue their interests, and prosper accordingly. Classical liberalism referred to as ‘neo-liberalism’ is about the free market, allowing the individual to be free from state intervention in private family life such as spending. Privacy here gives the individual a motive – work hard, earn money, and spend it in any way within the legal boundaries. 

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Anomie – A weakening of values and normative rules associated with the feelings of isolation, loneliness and meaninglessness. (Durkheim argument against negative freedom.)

Organicism – Belief that society operates like an organism, whose parts work together. The organism is sustained by a fragile set of relationships between & amongst its parts. Organisms are shaped by ‘natural factors’. i.e the family was not invented by a social thinker but is a product of natural social impulses. Disraeli’s One Nation conservatism was very much framed by the Organic model... For a body to function healthily all of its organs and limbs must correspond ...

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