‘The modern conservative party is pragmatic not ideological’ discuss (30 marks) Conservatism, like many other political ideologies has different factions within it. Traditional conservatism, especially paternalist conservatism very much favours a pragmatic approach. this is the belief that behaviour should be shaped in accordance with practical circumstances and goals rather than principles, beliefs or ideological objectives, indeed Michael Oakshott specified that true conservatism should avoid adopting any sense of direction However with the introduction of the liberal new right under Thatcher and Keith Joseph, they envisaged the creation of a society of free individuals, with wide access to ownership of property and shares in industry and in which each individual was responsible for his or her own welfare, breaking the tradition of pragmatism within the Conservative party. Traditional conservatives have tended to avoid adopting fixed principles and have opposed political movements based on fixed principles. In fact Conservatism has often been described as chameleon like, in that it changes its appearance according to the dominant political environment at a given time.
Do classical approaches to class remain relevant to contemporary societies? Your answer should refer to the work of Marx and/or Weber. ‘The word class has been used to describe broad and diffuse groupings within a national population that are seen as forming a set of layers or strata in a hierarchy, as in the terms ‘upper’, ‘middle’ and ‘lower’ class’. (Crompton and Scott, 2000, pg.1) Class has been a key subject in sociological debate. Recently however the debate has shifted from the classical questions that Marx and Weber were asking over a century ago- How is class defined?
Zinn refers to the 1760’s and the post–French and Indian War period as a time in which colonial social and political elites turned their “rebellious energy” against England. He stated that this was “not a conscience conspiracy, but an accumulation of tactical responses”. List and explain three such “tactical responses” in the American colonies after the French and Indian War. 3. What does Gary Nash’s study of city tax lists reveal about the changing nature of wealth in the colonies by the 1770’s?
Clinton defined himself as a centrist Democrat in his 1992 campaign in part by promising to "end welfare as we know it." After the Republican takeover of Congress, he fended off certain GOP welfare provisions but ultimately signed a bill that liberal members of Congress considered much too cruel to the poor. In another notable reversal, it is generally liberals who champion social engineering – and conservatives who scoff at the idea that government should try to change individual behavior. Now it is conservatives who most strongly support certain welfare rules, including the family cap and a requirement that most teenage parents live with their own parents in
The act of knocking down King George III statue represented a great political change between England and America (Doc. A). The political system formed by the American revolution also greatly differed from Europe. That was because the sense of the American government is that because all men are created equal and the government got their power from the people (Doc B). The American Revolution was revolutionary by bringing change in economy.
“Members of the free market society generally still cherish the hope that free markets will create universal well being.” In respect to them we ignore the connections to addiction, free markets and dislocation. Finally Alexander and Shaler argue that the spread of alcoholism is not a result of a “criminal” or “medical” problem but is “but is primarily a political and spiritual problem.” Changing our arguments on addiction is essential for political action to occur. “The key to controlling addiction is maintaining a society in
i Levinasian Ethics and Social Theory: The status of the other Instructor: Dr. Charles Edgley SOCI 3384: Contemporary Sociological Theory Summer 2011 Abstract In this essay, I begin by explaining the concept of the “Me First” theory presented by Jean Baudrillard and how the idea of consumerism is reflected in today’s society. I then will elaborate on consumerism by explaining the idea of hyperconsumption, which is the idea that society is using and consuming more than they actually need. In the second section I attempt to explain Emmanuel Levinas’ idea of the Status of Other and how it relates to self in the post-modern society and how we have an infinite responsibility to Other more than I. I follow that up by discussing Charles H. Cooley’s concept of the looking-glass self. In this concept Cooley proposes the idea that people shape themselves based on other people's perception of them. I end by discussing Baudrillards’ idea of Hyperreality, which is a term that is used to describe that there are people, places, and things that reflect the idea of illusion and fantasy.
He means that if the venture needs you to be anyone else but yourself, it will lead to no good. This reveals to me that Thoreau believes strongly in the individual, being yourself, and seeking your own path. This quote is also applicable to modern life because many ventures nowadays require you to conform for some purpose. The second aphorism I remembered is “Our life is frittered away by detail...Simplicity, simplicity.” Thoreau means that our focus and attention to detail now in society and culture do nothing but to waste our lives away needlessly. He believes simplicity is the better choice.
More than anything, the Vietnam War emphasized what was wrong on the home front, and that a superpower was not always a superpower '' tremendous might would not always prevail. From the turbulent 60s we move into the confusing 1970s '' a decade of change, healing, economic downturns, dishonesty at the highest stages of government, greater dependence on foreign steel and oil, but a more mature focus on political and social equality. Japan’s economy boomed while much of the West, heavily dependent upon
Locke believes that civil disobedience is justifiable if the government’s legitimate authority is questioned by the people, since he believes that we all consent to leaving the state of nature through a social contract with the Leviathan, a ruler or ruling body, which will ensure safety to all its subjects/citizens. This means that the people need to back the legitimacy of a government’s authority over them. If this doesn’t happen then civil disobedience is acceptable in a lockean ideology. This means that any form of civil disobedience is an show of lack of