if the worldis thought to have been fashioned by God the Creator ...

Conservativism
Tradition
1. Religious faith: if the worldis thought to have been fashioned by God the Creator,
traditional customs and practices in society will be regareded as ‘God given’ (natural law).
The religious defense of tradition has been kept alive by modern fundamentalists.
2. Most conservatives support tradition without appealing to religion. Rather tradition is
seen to reflect the accumulated wisdom of the past. ‘It is a democracy of the dead.’ Burke,
for example, described society as a partnership between ‘those who are living, those who are
dead and those who are to be born.’ This notion of tradition reflects a darwinian belief that
those institutions and customs that have survived have only done so because they fit the
natural selection.
3. Tradition generates, for both society and the individual, a sense of identity. Established
customs and practices are ones that individuals can recognise. Tradition thus provides
people with a feeling of rootedness and belonging. Monarchy, for instance, generates social
conhesion. Change, on the other hand, is a journey into the unknown; it creates uncertainty
and insecurity. Tradition therefore consists of rather more than political insitutions. It
encompasses all those customs and social practices that are falmiliar and generate security
and belonging.
Human Imperfection
1. psychologically: people fear isolation and instability, not self-reliant. liberty
generates change and uncertainty.
2. morally: pessimistic, Hobbesian view of human nature: selfsh and greedy. Also by
reference the old Testament ‘original sin’. Crime is not a product of inequality or social
disadvantage but of base human instincts and appetites. The only effective deterrent is
law. This explans the conservative preference for strong government and tough criminal
justice regimes
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3. intellectually: limited.the world is simply too complicated for human reason fuuly
to grasp. Conservatives are therefore susicious of abstract ideas and systems of thought
that claim to understand what is simply incomprehensible. High-sounding political
principles such as ‘rights of man’, ‘equality’ and ‘social justice’ are fraught with danger
because they provide a blueprint for the reform or remodelling of the world.
Organic Society
1. Liberals believe that society arises from the actions of individuals, pursuing selfinterest
contractually and voluntarily made. Conservatives beliee that tis is an atomistic
picture of society They believehuman eings are dependent and security-seeking. They do not
exist outside society, but desperately need to belong to have ‘roots’ in society. The
individual is part of the social groups: family, friends or peer group, workmates or
lcoleagues, local community and even the nation. (Structuralist point of view). As a result,
conservatives are reluctant to understand freedom in terms of ‘negative freedom’. Freedom
involve’s ‘doing one’s duty’. For instance, parents instruct children how to behave, they are
not constraining their liberty, but providing guidance for their children’s benefit.
2. An organic view of society: onservatives have thought of society as a living thing,
whose parts work together just as the brain, heart, lungs and liver do within a human
organism. Organisms differ from artefacts or macines in two respects. a). organisms are not
simply of collection of individual parts. b). orgainsims are shaped by natural factors rather
than human ingenuity.
3. Organic ideas regard the family as the most basic institution of the society. It also
underpins the conservative defence of established values. Conservative have feared moral
and cultural pluralism and called for a common culture and shared values. Finally, Nations,
like families are formed naturally.
Hierarchy and Authority
1. Hierarchy: Conservatives have believed the society is naturally hierarchical,
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characterized by fixed or established social gradations. Social equality is rejected as
undesirable and unachievable. Power, status and property are always unequally distributed.
Conservatives agrees wit liberals in accepting natural inequality amonst individuals. But for
liberals this leads to a belief of meritocracy. Conservatives have believed that inequality is
more deep-rooted. It is not merely a consequence of individual diferences. Burke, for
example, embraced the idea of a ‘natural asistocracy’. Just as the brain, the heart and the
liver all perform very different funtions within a body, the various classes and groups also
have their own specific roles. Genuine social equality is therefore a myth. Hierarchy and
organicism have invested in conservatism a tendency towards paternalism.
2. Authority.Conservatives do not accept the liberal belief that authority arises out of a
contract made by free individuals. They believe that authority, like society, develops
naturally. Parents v.s. children. Authority develops from natural necessity. Such authority
can only be imposed ‘from above’. This has led conservatives to place special emphasis
upon leadership and discipline. Leadership is the capacity to give direction and provide
inspiration for others. Discipline is not just mindless obedience but a willing and healthy
respect for authority.
Property
1. Liberals believe that property reflects merit. Property therefore is ‘earned’. This
doctrine has an attraction for conservatives who regard the ability to accumulate wealth as an
important economic incentive. Nefertheless, conservatives also hold that property has
psychological and social advantages. For example, it provides security. Property ownership
gives people a sense of confidence and assurance, and provides individuals with a source of
protection. Therefore conservatives believe that thrift( 節 約 )is a virtue in itself and have
sought to encourage private savings and investment in property.
2. Property promotes a range of important social values. Those who possess and enjoy
theri own property are more likely to respet the property of others. They will also be aware
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that property must be safeguarded from disorder and lawlessness. Property owners therefore
have a ‘stake’ in society; they have an interest in maintaining law and order. In this sense,
property ownership can promote what the ‘conservative values of respect for law, authority
and social order.
3. A deeper moral reason for holding property is that it is an extension of an individual’s
personality. People ‘realise’ themselves in what they own. Possessions are not merely
external objects, but also reflect something of owner’s personality and character. This is why
burglary( 夜 盜 )is a crime since it is not just a property violation but a personal violation.
4. Conservative, however, do not hold the view of laissez-faire. Liberals believe that each
individual has an absolute right to use their property. Conservatives have traditionally
argued that all rights entail obligations. Property is not an issue for the individual alone, but
is also of importance to society. The right of the individual must be balanced against the
well-being of society or nation. So the freedom of the business have to be curtailed( 縮 短 )
when government intervenes the market. Furthermore, property is not merely the creation of
the present generation. Much of it has been passed down from earlier generations. In this
sense, the present generation is the custodian of the wealth of the nation and has a duty to
preserve and pass on it for the benefit of future generations.
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