39 Questions
What was the primary goal of the American Founders, influenced by Harrington, Locke, and Montesquieu, in terms of executive, legislative, and judicial powers?
To divide powers among the president, congress, and supreme court.
How did Sir Robert Filmer's ideas contribute to the emergence of modern conservatism and liberalism?
By attempting to defend the divine right of kings, Filmer's ideas sparked a dispute between popular sovereignty, liberty, and constitutional rights.
What is a key difference between Locke's liberal individualism and social liberalism?
Locke's liberal individualism prioritizes individual liberty over state power, while social liberalism seeks equality at the expense of social hierarchies.
What is the significance of Joseph de Maistre's ideas in the context of modern conservatism?
De Maistre's ideas were reactive, seeking to restore old divine right of kings, rather than reforming or renewing conservative thought.
How did Locke's ideas influence the development of liberal and conservative ideologies?
Locke's ideas helped to establish the distinction between liberal and conservative ideologies within the framework of popular sovereignty.
What is a key aspect of modern conservatism as a political movement?
Modern conservatism incorporates some liberal ideas, such as individual rights and limited government.
What is the central tension in the French Revolution's pursuit of liberty and equality?
Liberty and equality are in radical tension with each other, as pursuing one goal often comes at the expense of the other.
What is the highest form of freedom, according to the Tory attitude?
Right opinion, correct response and sensible emotion.
What is the difference between liberal and conservative views on institutions?
Liberals believe political order arises from individual liberty, while conservatives believe liberty arises from political order.
What is the question that divides liberals and conservatives?
What comes first, liberty or order?
How did conservatism begin?
As a hesitation within liberalism.
What was the major influence on the American Revolution?
Thomas Jefferson and conservative ways of thinking.
How did Thomas Jefferson view the French Revolution?
He concluded that there were universal rights, but government should adapt to the conditions of society and not be dictated by abstract ideas.
What was the significance of the Virginia Declaration of Rights?
It extracted rights from the common law.
What united liberals and conservatives in the face of modern threats?
The growth of the modern state.
What is CONCERN FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS, according to the author, and how does it relate to gratitude?
Concern for future generations is a form of gratitude, recognizing the benefits we inherit and pass on to future generations.
What were the consequences of the revolutions, according to the author?
The revolutions resulted in waste, inflation, and the collapse of traditional forms of education and medical relief, as well as the destruction of social capital.
What is the role of face-to-face interactions in building trust and accountability, according to the author?
Face-to-face interactions, such as those in schools, churches, and families, allow individuals to learn to interact as free beings who take responsibility for their actions, building trust and accountability.
What is the concept of 'little platoons' in Burke's philosophy, and what is their role in forming traditions?
'Little platoons' refer to small, local communities where traditions form and are adapted to the needs of the community, serving as a source of social order.
How does Burke's concept of traditions parallel the ideas of Adam Smith and Austrian economics?
Both Burke and Adam Smith/Austrian economics recognize that prices/profit and loss provide a guide to economic needs, while traditions provide information about the past that allows individuals to accommodate their conduct to the needs of future generations.
What is the author's view on the nature of social traditions?
The author views social traditions as answers to enduring questions that are embodied in social practices, rather than arbitrary rules, which have accumulated reason in society over time.
How does Burke define prejudices in the context of social traditions?
Burke defines prejudices as social traditions that individuals adopt without fully understanding or justifying them, yet still embodying accumulated reason in society.
What is the role of civil society in Burke's philosophy, and how does it differ from top-down governments?
Civil society, composed of voluntary associations, is a fount of social order, whereas top-down governments destroy civil society and lead to irresponsible individuals, as accountability disappears.
What is the primary response to classical liberalism that incorporates Locke's core ideas, including natural rights and the right to property?
Conservatism
Where did modern conservatism begin, and how was it characterized?
Britain and France; as liberal individualism
What is the purpose of the system of checks and balances in conservative thought?
To defend individuals from potential oppressors
Who is considered the first defender of modern conservatism, and what was his contribution to the philosophy?
Sir William Blackstone; 'Commentaries of the Laws of England'
What is the central idea of Friedrich von Hayek's contribution to conservative thought?
The importance of concrete inheritance of people and institutions, not abstract ideas of political legitimacy
What is the significance of the term 'Tory' in the context of 17th-18th century British politics?
It represents traditionalist and loyalist sentiments that animated the royalist faction in the government
How do conservatives view the relationship between freedom and human rights, according to the text?
Conservatives believe that without institutions and traditions, freedom could destroy human rights
What is the conservative view of the origin of political order, according to the text?
It is founded on custom and tradition, not a social contract
What is the primary assumption of a market economy according to Edmund Burke?
Honest people
What was the purpose of the French Revolution's 'Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen'?
To provide a foundation for the new political order
What is the main difference between the Bill of Rights and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen?
One is based on common law and protects ancient rights, while the other is based on philosophy and doesn't describe a procedure to uphold the rights
What is the central idea of Rousseau's 'theory of general will' as reflected in the French Declaration?
It makes a distinction between passive and active citizens
What is Edmund Burke's criticism of the French Revolution?
It is being imposed on the people by a literary cabal and lacks protection of law
What is Edmund Burke's view on individualism?
He rejects extreme individualism
What is the significance of the concept of 'shared inheritance' in Edmund Burke's thought?
It emphasizes the importance of social responsibility and the need to preserve tradition
What is the main difference between Edmund Burke's view of the American and French Revolutions?
He praises the American Revolution for its moderate and gradual approach, while criticizing the French Revolution for its radical and violent approach
Study Notes
Pre-Modern Conservatism
- Sir Robert Filmer justified the divine right of kings, attempting to defend a deflating conception of civil government.
- His ideas were ended by the Civil War, leading to the emergence of liberals and conservatives in modern form.
Locke and Montesquieu
- They influenced American Founders, shaping the US Constitution with executive powers in the President, legislative power in Congress, and judicial power in the Supreme Court.
- They promoted liberal individualism, shaping American and French revolutionaries.
French Revolution
- The revolutionaries doubted the ideas of popular sovereignty, liberty, and constitutional rights.
- Joseph de Maistre wanted a new version of divine rights, which was not conservative but reactive.
Modern Conservatism
- It began in Britain and France, incorporating Locke's core ideas, especially natural rights and the right to property.
- It favored constitutional government, checks and balances, and a bottom-up legitimacy (consent of the people).
- It defended individuals from potential oppressors but opposed the idea that political order is founded on a contract and that individuals enjoy freedom, sovereignty, and rights in the state of nature.
Sir William Blackstone
- He wrote "Commentaries of the Laws of England," defending the English constitution and common law as solutions to social conflict and the need for orderly government.
- He believed that love of liberty is the creation of custom and tradition, not a random choice.
Friedrich von Hayek
- He amplified Blackstone's ideas, focusing on the concrete inheritance of people and institutions, not abstract ideas of political legitimacy.
- He gave historical and empirical content to the theory of natural law by bringing it to the common law courts of England.
Tory Attitude
- It valued eccentricity and independence as obedience to institutions and traditions.
- Freedom is not an escape from obligation but a call to obey them.
Liberal and Conservative Ideologies
- Liberals and conservatives agree on limited government, institutions, separation of powers, and basic rights.
- They differ in their view of institutions: liberals see political order as derived from individual liberty, while conservatives see liberty as derived from political order.
Chapter 2: The Origins of Conservatism
- Conservatism began as a hesitation within liberalism, initially not a philosophy.
- The 18th century saw the cause of sovereignty become popular, exemplified by the French and American revolutions.
American Revolution
- It was influenced by conservative ways of thinking, seeking to keep old rights the British took.
- Thomas Jefferson had a major influence, with the Declaration of Independence and Notes of the State of Virginia serving as the basis for the Constitution.
French Revolution
- It was characterized by romantic individualism and a complete dismantling of the old order to create a new one.
- Jefferson observed the French Revolution and concluded that there were universal rights, but the government should adapt to the conditions of society and not be dictated by abstract ideas.
Edmund Burke
- He wanted to respond to people who challenged popular sovereignty.
- He perceived the defects of the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, criticizing its philosophical and abstract nature.
- He defended tradition, like religion and family, as forms of wisdom and rejected extreme individualism.
- He believed that freedom needs to be protected by law and modern society needs to have a government independent of religious ties.
Burke's Critique of the French Revolution
- He predicted the execution of the king and the Terror, warning about the defects of the revolution.
- He believed that society didn't contain only living people but also the dead and the unborn, and that we have obligations to those who gave us what we have.
- He rejected the liberal idea of the social contract, saying that society is a shared inheritance where we learn to see things as a chain.
- He criticized the revolutionaries for seeking to tear down traditional institutions and praised the American Revolution.
Burke's Concept of Society
- He believed that society depends on trust and associations that can only be built from face-to-face interactions.
- He proposed a society of volunteers, where civil society is a fount of social order, not a state.
- He saw traditions as forms of knowledge, adaptations of the community, and answers to enduring questions that are embodied in social practices.
- He defended traditions as prejudices, accumulated reason in society that we question.
This quiz explores the ideas of influential thinkers who shaped the American political system, including their views on liberty and social order.
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