Conservat
CONSERVATISM QUESTIONS – A2 (UNIT 4)
Short Answers
1. How do traditional conservatives and the New Right differ in their views of society? (Jan 02)
Traditional conservatives believe in an organic society, arguing that society is best understood as a living entity rather than an artefact or machine. Amongst the implications of this view are that social change should be resisted unless it is 'natural'; that traditional institutions should be preserved because of their role in sustaining the social whole; that society is more important than the individuals or groups who compose it because the whole is more than a collection of its individual parts; that duty and social obligation are vital in upholding the fragile fabric of society; and that hierarchy is an unavoidable feature of society.
By contrast, the liberal New Right's view of society is of atomistic individualism, reflected in the Benthamite or Thatcherite belief that there is no such thing as society only the individuals who compose it. This view implies that individuals are more important than society; that individual rights and freedoms should take priority over duties and social obligations; that social institutions are merely instrumental in that they are fashioned through contractual agreements in order to satisfy mutual interests; and that society should be characterised by equality of opportunity, allowing individuals to rise and fall on the basis of merit.
The conservative New Right, on the other hand, subscribes to a traditional, organic view of society . Key discriminating factors include the strength of the conceptual distinction between organicism and individualism; the extent to which the implications of the two views are highlighted; and whether or not reference is made to differences between neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism.
2. Why, and to what extent, do conservatives value tradition? (Jun 02)
Conservatives value tradition for a variety of reasons, including that it provides
Short Answers
1. How do traditional conservatives and the New Right differ in their views of society? (Jan 02)
Traditional conservatives believe in an organic society, arguing that society is best understood as a living entity rather than an artefact or machine. Amongst the implications of this view are that social change should be resisted unless it is 'natural'; that traditional institutions should be preserved because of their role in sustaining the social whole; that society is more important than the individuals or groups who compose it because the whole is more than a collection of its individual parts; that duty and social obligation are vital in upholding the fragile fabric of society; and that hierarchy is an unavoidable feature of society.
By contrast, the liberal New Right's view of society is of atomistic individualism, reflected in the Benthamite or Thatcherite belief that there is no such thing as society only the individuals who compose it. This view implies that individuals are more important than society; that individual rights and freedoms should take priority over duties and social obligations; that social institutions are merely instrumental in that they are fashioned through contractual agreements in order to satisfy mutual interests; and that society should be characterised by equality of opportunity, allowing individuals to rise and fall on the basis of merit.
The conservative New Right, on the other hand, subscribes to a traditional, organic view of society . Key discriminating factors include the strength of the conceptual distinction between organicism and individualism; the extent to which the implications of the two views are highlighted; and whether or not reference is made to differences between neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism.
2. Why, and to what extent, do conservatives value tradition? (Jun 02)
Conservatives value tradition for a variety of reasons, including that it provides