To What Extent Is Conservatism a Philosophy of Imperfection

Conservatism does not have one single viewpoint or stance on human nature or imperfection as Conservatism as a whole encompasses different strands or beliefs within it. For example One Nation conservatives have a different philosophy on human imperfection than New Right conservatives do. One Nation conservatives hold the belief that we as humans are: greedy and have a limited capacity for altruism, a complex mix of emotions and contradictory motivations making us irrational, not totally consistent and are at balance the majority of the time with corruption. They believe that our inherent imperfect human nature stems from original sin, the Christian Belief. This shows a wholesome negative outlook on human nature. The New Right on the other†¦show more content†¦This means that essentially they crave social order ahead of liberty. This way of prioritising social order over liberty is a view also taken by Thomas Hobbes in his work Leviathan, in which he talks of the sacrifice of but a few rights for the assurance of protection from the government. In this way, human imperfection can be seen to link to the other conservative concepts of Hierarchy and Authority – because of the fact that humans are inherently imperfect, they need a structured hierarchy to protect them and keep them in line. Conservatives, in this way believe in strong punishment as it can act as a deterrent to others doing the same crime. A structured hierarchy, protecting citizens and individuals lower down the chain link to the conservative theory of the ‘noblesse oblige’ which is where the rich or those higher up have a social obligation to help the less well off. Similarly Conservatives also believe that some are natural leaders, like those in positions of power, and some are inferior as a result of their imperfect qualities and are therefore not worthy of being a leader. Secondly, traditional conservatism holds close the belief that we are morally flawed, which again is a highly pessimistic view of human nature. Thomas Hobbes was also in support of this idea, deeming humans to be innately selfish and greedy with not possibility of being perfectible. He can be quoted as saying we want ‘power after power’, meaning that once weShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of Demography to Development11868 Words   |  48 Pageshowever, have a long history and can trace their origins to a mixture of common human knowledge and philosophy. Sociology as a scientific discipline emerged in the early 19th century as an academic response to the challenge of modernity: as the world was becoming smaller and more integrated, peoples experience of the world was increasingly atomized and dispersed. Sociologists hoped not only to understand what held social groups together, but also to develop an antidote to social disintegration. The termRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 PagesPerspectives John McAuley, Joanne Duberley and Phil Johnson . This book is, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive and reliable guide to organisational theory currently available. What is needed is a text that will give a good idea of the breadth and complexity of this important subject, and this is precisely what McAuley, Duberley and Johnson have provided. They have done some sterling service in bringing together the very diverse strands of work that today qualify as constituting the subjectRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesparticularly regarding sustainable competitive advantage and resources, and corporate strategy, particularly regarding diversiï ¬ cation and internationalisation. There are also issues of ownership and organisation. In the end, the fundamental question is: what future for the Ministry? ââ€"  ââ€"  ââ€"  In 1991, 28-year-old James Palumbo invested  £225,000 (≈a340,000) of his own capital into a new dance club located in an old South London bus depot. As an old Etonian (the UK’s most elitist private school), a graduate