Reading for Wednesday

On Wednesday, we'll be discussing Classical conservatism. We'll be reading two conservative responses to the French Revolution. In many ways, the revolutionaries drew on some of the ideas of both Locke and Rousseau to justify their actions. Despite their differences, Locke and Rousseau share a deep dislike of tradition as a justification for arbitrary power, and that's what the revolutionaries correctly saw at work France circa 1789.

More and Burke were both British, and neither had a reputation we might consider "conservative." The French revolution alarmed them, and it was in the process of articulating what they found so objectionable about that revolution that they began to articulate a conservative philosophy. Conservative philosophy is inherently opposed to social contract theory. Try to think about why as you're reading.

A note on the Burke reading--it's a pretty stream of consciousness affair. In it's full form, it's 200 pages of reflections; no chapters; no sections, and very little structure (he wrote it in just a few months). So don't look for a carefully constructed argument; it's more a series of wise reflections. Burke is a complex thinker--he was unpopular amongst British politicians for a while because of his support for the American revolutionaries. His reasons for supporting were complicated and idiosyncratic; he disagreed very much with a good deal of revolutionary ideology.

The other reading is by Hannah More, a playwright and educator. She wrote this pamphlet under a pseudonym, "Will Chip." As you'll see fairly quickly, this piece is written as a two man, one act play extolling the virtues of British conservatism and traditionalism. Specifically, it is an attack on the revolutionary ideas of Tom Paine, an enthusiastic supporter of the French revolution and the "rights of man."

Here's a link to a version of "Village Politics" online.

And now--back to your midterm studying!