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Explain the importance of responsible government
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Russell Kirk's The Conservative Mind is arguably the most influential work concerning modern conservatism published in the 20th century. Kirk originally published this work in 1953 as a 458 page book, as his doctoral dissertation for The University of St. Andrew's in Scotland, from which he received a Doctor of Letters; the only American to do so from that University. In it, he outlined six canons of conservative thought which he deemed central to conservative belief. He edited it and produced a summary version in 1985, and continued expansion in 1993, adding four more conservative canons.
Kirk begins his book by presenting six main canons, or rules by which conservatism is governed. These, he believes, are the building blocks on which all conservative thought and policy should be founded. They are as follows:
1. A Belief in a transcendent order or body (ie God): In conservatism there is no place for moral relativism. The purpose of politics is to apply true justice to a “community of souls.” there must be truth and false, right and wrong. An unchanging standard is necessary.
2. Affection for the variety and mystery of human existence; we must not force sameness upon humanity, and avoid “narrowing uniformity and equalitarianism.” (8)
3. Society needs rule of law and the middle class: there can be no classless society. There are natural distinctions among men, i.e. inequalities of condition. There can only be equality before God and the courts, anything else is “Servitude and Boredom.”
4. Freedom and Private Property are intrinsically linked; without private property, the “state is unstoppable.” Redistribution of wealth is not economic progress; “Separate property from private possession, and liberty is erased.” (8)
5. The Prin...
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...e to continue to satisfy the role government must play in the United States of America.
Works Cited
Review: The Conservative Mind
The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Santayana by Russell Kirk; Contemporary British Conservatism: Its Nature and Content by Luigi Savastano
Review by: M. A. Fitzsimons; The Review of Politics Vol. 16, No. 2 (Apr., 1954) , pp. 241-244. Published by: Cambridge University Press for the University of Notre Dame du lac on behalf of Review of Politics. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1404915
Frum, David. "The Legacy of Russell Kirk." New Criterion 13.4 (Dec. 1994):
10-16. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec.
Vol. 119. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Literature Resource Center. Web. 7 May 2014.
McDonald, W. Wesley. Introduction. Russell Kirk and the Age of Ideology. Columbia, MO: U of Missouri, 2004. 1-13. Print.
Grace Abbott, Ph.M. (Political Science) 1909 [SSA Centennial Celebration Profiles of Distinction Series]. (n.d.). In Chicago/SSA/Centenial. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from The University of Chicago website: http://ssacentennial.uchicago.edu/features/features-abbott-grace.shtml
"Conservative, n. and adj.". OED Online. December 2013. Oxford University Press. 14 February 2014 .
Throughout the existence of man debates over property and inequality have always existed. Man has been trying to reach the perfect state of society for as long as they have existed. John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Martin Luther King are three great examples of men who broke down the basics of how property and inequality are related. Each historical figure has their own distinct view on the situation. Some views are similar while others vary greatly. These philosophers and seekers of peace and equality make many great arguments as to how equality and property can impact man and society. Equality and property go hand in hand in creating an equal society. Each authors opinion has its own factors that create a mindset to support that opinion. In this paper we will discuss the writings of John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Martin Luther King Jr. and the factors that influenced their opinions on inequality and property.
Somerville, John and Ronald E. Santoni. Social and Political Philosophy. New York: Anchor Books, 1963.
Conservatives, ideology places the values on status quo. They have difficulties accepting changes, and believe that change should be taking at a slow pace. They believe that human institutions are the product of a gradual process of experience. Conservatives believe slow changes would be more effective over a long period of time. time. They believe changing institutions and practices would affect the would affect the underlying structure. Conservatives be that it is not realistic to expect that that changes in institutions and practices would replace the existing without causing chaos.
Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1948.
In Locke’s state of nature, there was never a need to assume that one must equally divide possessions. Locke’s notion of of the right to property was crucial because it was held on the same accord as rights such as life and liberty respectively. By doing so, property becomes subjected to the whims of political processes just as any similar right would require. This means that Locke was able to justify inequalities in property through the need of political regulation for property. There was also a drastic imbalance in Locke’s civil society due to the two classes that unlimited accumulation of property created. Locke suggested that everyone is a member of society and yet only those who owned property could fully participate in society. Those who did not own property were unable to fully participate, because it could give them the opportunity to use their newfound legitimate power to equalize property ownership, going against Locke’s key belief of unlimited accumulation. In Locke’s views, due to the overwhelming abundance of property, there was never a need for a method to ensure impartiality. The inequality stems from Locke’s inability to realize the discrepancy would become more and more apparent as men used money to expand their possessions. This structure established two different types of class within society, the upper echelon citizens who share in the sovereign power and the second class citizens
By adding social issues to the conservative agenda, the New Right weakened the establishment’s movement, contradicting and discrediting its fundamental principles. The new social agenda contradicted Old Right’s belief in limited government and individual rights. Today, the New Right continues to grow and the Christian Right continues to gain political power. Republican candidates are considered politically dead unless they secure the support of the Christian Coalition. Before the New Right comes to embody “conservativism” within American political discourse, Old Right conservatives must discard the dissenter’s social initiatives and reclaim the establishment’s conservative agenda: remove the New Right’s social agenda, return to establishment’s conservative ideals, and develop policies based on limited government, free market, and individual liberty.
Jones, W. T. Masters of Political Thought. Ed. Edward, McChesner, and Sait. Vol. 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1947.
Bullock, Alan, and Maurice Shock, eds. The Liberal Tradition: From Fox to Keynes. Clarendon Press, 1967.
- Conservatism is essentially the defense of economic individualism against the growth of a welfare state.
Schumaker Paul, Dwight C. Kiel, Thomas W. Heilke, Ideological Voices: An Anthology in Modern Political Ideas, New York, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1997.
Pink, D. H. (2006). A whole new mind: why right-brainers will rule the future (2nd ed.). London, England: Penguin Books Ltd.
Conservatism is an ideology consisted of ideas and beliefs that value social order and tradition. The question of whether or not conservatism is a coherent ideology is a highly debated topic. Conservatism can be seen as a disbelief to its critiques against other political ideologies such as liberalism. (Ruth, 2017) However, I believe the ideas of conservatism do make up a coherent ideology. Throughout this essay I will explain the reasons why I believe the ideas of conservatism make a legitimate ideology. The Oxford Dictionary defines an ideology as “a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.” Meaning that in order for a viewpoint to be deemed an ideology it must contain a
Garner, R., Ferdinand, P. and Lawson, S. (2009) Introduction to Politics. 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.