Conservatism merely reflects the intere
Conservatism merely reflects the interests of the privileged and prosperous. Discuss (45)
It is often said that conservatism merely reflects the interests of the privileged and prosperous and though it can be argued that conservatism seeks to protect the inheritance of property and tradition, there have been instances in conservatism where the interests of the less privileged have been protected, this is known as paternalism or one nation conservatism.
The negative conservative view of human nature allows conservatives to justify their defence of their privileges and prosperity. Conservatives view human nature as morally imperfect. There is uncertainty about natural goodness of human beings and their sense of original sin that humans are innately selfish and as such need to safeguard their possessions and privileges against humans who are inherently immoral. However a Marxist could argue that the conservative view of humans is simply an excuse to protect the interests of the property owning classes in capitalism. Thus conservatism can be seen to reflect the interest of the privileged and the prosperous.
The organic theory of the state can be seen as the conservative justification for their belief in hierarchy. The organic theory of the state compares the state and society to a living organism in which the components work together in necessarily unequal harmony. The entire entity is more than the sum of its parts and as such society, which is necessarily hierarchical, is more important than any individual within it. The organic state leads conservatives to not only believing in natural hierarchy, but it is also desirable. Conservatives have argued that they perceive class, but not class conflict. Thus those who are not privileged or prosperous are happy as their society brings them stability, security and rootedness. However many modern liberals would see this as conservatives ignoring social disadvantage and could argue that their interest in protecting their
It is often said that conservatism merely reflects the interests of the privileged and prosperous and though it can be argued that conservatism seeks to protect the inheritance of property and tradition, there have been instances in conservatism where the interests of the less privileged have been protected, this is known as paternalism or one nation conservatism.
The negative conservative view of human nature allows conservatives to justify their defence of their privileges and prosperity. Conservatives view human nature as morally imperfect. There is uncertainty about natural goodness of human beings and their sense of original sin that humans are innately selfish and as such need to safeguard their possessions and privileges against humans who are inherently immoral. However a Marxist could argue that the conservative view of humans is simply an excuse to protect the interests of the property owning classes in capitalism. Thus conservatism can be seen to reflect the interest of the privileged and the prosperous.
The organic theory of the state can be seen as the conservative justification for their belief in hierarchy. The organic theory of the state compares the state and society to a living organism in which the components work together in necessarily unequal harmony. The entire entity is more than the sum of its parts and as such society, which is necessarily hierarchical, is more important than any individual within it. The organic state leads conservatives to not only believing in natural hierarchy, but it is also desirable. Conservatives have argued that they perceive class, but not class conflict. Thus those who are not privileged or prosperous are happy as their society brings them stability, security and rootedness. However many modern liberals would see this as conservatives ignoring social disadvantage and could argue that their interest in protecting their