unpredictable, and therefore dangerous.
Organic society
- Humans need to belong. Individuals don't just come together for mutually
advantageous contracts, they are essentially part of social groups (family, friends,
workmates, local community, nation) which give their lives security and meaning.
- Hence freedom isn't negative liberty. Rather, it is a willing acceptance of social
obligations and ties. It involves doing one's duty.
- Society is not a product of individual, it's vice versa.
- Analogy of organism: role of the parts is to preserve the whole.
- Importance of the family: it provides security and teaches individuals duty and the
need to respect others. It is therefore essential to the stability of society.
- Religion cements society together by means of shared values and beliefs.
- Morality is a matter for society, not the individual. (Latter would threaten cohesion and
stability.) Hence it is right for the law to cover morals (e.g. ).
- Nations are valuable and are formed naturally: they involve a natural affinity of people
with a common language, history, culture, traditions. Patriotism is therefore a natural
and healthy instinct. Suspicion of foreigners and alien cultures is also natural and, up
to a point, constructive.
Authority
- Authority is a natural phenomenon; it doesn't arise from a contract or consent.
Parental authority is a model: it's natural, for the children's good, does not arise from
agreement from below, but is imposed from above.
- Humans and society need authority, and it is beneficial. Teacher in school, employer
in workplace, government in society. Everyone need to know where they stand and
what is expected of them. Authority counters rootlessness and anomie.
- Discipline is not mindless obedience, but a willing and healthy respect for authority.
- But authority has limits set by the natural responsibilities that it involves. (e.g. parental
authority is for the benefit of the child, so it doesn't include the right to sell them into
slavery.)
- Inequality is natural: inequalities of privileges/wealth go with inequality of social
responsibilities.
- A strong state (as opposed to the liberal minimal state) is needed to preserve order
and the moral fabric of society.
- Paternalist view of state: it's for the benefit of the citizens.
Property
- Conservatives may share the liberal view that property is earned and merited, but they
also hold that it gives people a feeling of security and confidence.
- Also, property ownership is likely to produce respect for others' property, for law and
order, etc. In other words, property owners have a stake in society.
- Property is an extension of an individual's personality; it reflects their personality.
(Common ownership of property would amount to a soulless and depersonalised
society.)
- But, contrary to liberals, many conservatives hold that individuals don't have an
absolute right to use their property as they choose. For their ownership rights entail
obligations to society and future generations. Thus state intervention is justified.
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Types of Conservatism
(1) Paternalist Conservatism
Pragmatic, prepared to instigate careful change in order to conserve. Not rigidly supporting either state or individual.
Wealth and social privilege entails social duty/responsibility.
For example, welfare state might be justified on paternalist grounds, rather than reasons of social equality.
(2) The New Right (Regan, Thatcher)
Usually involves two values:
(A) The free market ("neoliberalism")
and (B) The defence of order, authority and discipline. ("neoconservatism")
Neoliberalism: Anti-state. "Private good, public bad." The state is coercive, limiting liberty, and collectivism restricts individual initiative and saps self-respect. Neoliberals have faith in individuals, who should be encouraged to be self-reliant and to make rational choices in their own interests; they also have faith that the market has general benefit.
Neoconservatism: The need for social order implies a need for authority in social life. 1960s permissiveness (i) allowed people to choose immoral views (e.g.
),
and (ii) encouraged moral pluralism, which destroys the cohesion of society, and undermines the individual's feeling of security, endangering order, and causes rising delinquency and crime.
Neoconservatives therefore advocate strengthening traditional "family values" (kids respect parents, husband has job, wife is homemaker), and more severe punishment (to deter offenders and to express society's revulsion). They also see national pride and identity as being important.
