Skip to content

Ask an Academic

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us
Crowd of people

What is Conservatism?

September 19, 2019 by Suzanne

Conservative ideas arose as a response to the rapid growing pace of political, economic and economic change which was symbolized by the French Revolution.

Question:

What are the values and beliefs of conservatism?

Answer:

Conservative ideas arose as a response to the rapid growing pace of political, economic and economic change which was symbolized by the French Revolution (Heywood, 2017, p. 63). Conservatism is defined by the desire to conserve, reflected in a resistance to, or at least a suspicion of, change(Heywood, 2017, p. 62). Briefly defined, conservatives have a strong support for tradition, a belief in human imperfection, and the attempt to uphold the organic and initial structure of society (Heywood, 2017, p. 62). Traditional conservatism defends established institutions and values on the ground that they protect the fabric of society by  giving people who seek security  a feeling of stability. It is characterised by a belief in a minimal state by combining economic economic libertarianism with social authoritarianism (Heywood, 2017, p. 62). Conservatism has been debated to be a negative ideology as its core theme is the desire to conserve which can also be translated to being resistance or suspicion of change without political creed (Heywood, 2017, p. 65). Their central beliefs include tradition, society, hierarchy and authority property and tradition which contrasts strongly with liberalisms value of minimal government interference and individual freedom (Heywood, 2017, p. 65). In terms of tradition, conservatives such as Burke believed that society was developed from the creator which he considered to be the natural law and believed that humans should not change or interfere with God’s creation as they are calling the will of God.  In this case conservatives people that the practises of the past should be preserved for the future generations to come as they have been tested by time (Heywood, 2017, p. 66) Conservatisms share similar ideas with Darwinism and the belief of natural selection believing that if these institutions have survived it creates a higher value on them therefore should be preserved (Heywood, 2017, p. 66). furthermore many ideologies believe that human beings are naturally good or if social circumstances are fixed they they can be made good this contrasts with conservatism themes as they believe in human imperfection where humans are psychologically limited and fear isolation, and cannot, exist outside society, but desperately need to belong, to have ‘roots’ in society also known as organic society this idea contrasts with liberalist who preach that individuals are self reliant and self seeking and can be personally developed and improved (Heywood, 2017, p. 68)

Source:

Heywood, A 2017, Political Ideologies: An Introduction, 6th edition, Palgrave, London.

Post navigation

Previous Post:

What is Liberalism?

Next Post:

Love Island Misogyny – Ofcom Decision

Search Q&As

Categories

  • Art Media and Literature (74)
  • Business and Management (256)
  • Computing and ICT (14)
  • Construction and Engineering (35)
  • Education (90)
  • Environmental Sciences (2)
  • Finance and Economics (91)
  • Health (64)
  • Languages (12)
  • Law (88)
  • Mathematics and Statistics (2)
  • Medical Sciences (19)
  • Politics and International Relations (83)
  • Research Methodology (1)
  • Science (49)
  • Social Sciences (101)

Archives

Who We Are

Askanacademic.com is owned and operated by All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No: 4964706. VAT Registration No: 842417633. Data Controller No: Z1821391.

Registered office:
Venture House
Cross Street
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 7PJ

Main Navigation

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us

Legals

  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Popular Categories

  • Business and Management
  • Law
  • Finance and Economics
  • Health
An an Academic Logo
© 2023 Ask an Academic | WordPress Theme by Superb Themes
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Reject
Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT