4.6: Glossary

AI generated

Based on the sources, here is a glossary of key terms related to the study of conservatism, listed in alphabetical order:

• American Exceptionalism: The belief that the United States holds a unique position among nations due to its specific emphasis on democracy and political liberty.
• Authority: A form of legitimacy that distinguishes itself from mere power; it requires that subordinates respect their superiors while superiors have an obligation to behave in a way that preserves that legitimacy.
• Classical Conservatism: A political ideology that emphasizes the importance of tradition, hierarchy, and authority to maintain social order, viewing society as an organic entity rather than a collection of individuals.
• Hierarchy: The principle that a stable social order requires some degree of stratification, meaning some members of society will naturally have more social or political power than others.
• Human Imperfection: The foundational conservative belief that humans are fallible and motivated by feelings, customs, and selfish interests as much as by reason, making abstract, rational political blueprints impractical.
• Libertarianism: An anti-statist branch of modern conservatism that champions individual rights and free markets, seeking to limit government activity to a very narrowly defined sphere.
• Modern Conservatism (New Right): A version of conservatism that emerged prominently in the 1980s, combining some traditional values with a strong emphasis on free markets, deregulation, and limited state interference in the economy.
• Neoconservatism: A movement that supports free-market capitalism but is comfortable with a strong state to enforce domestic law and order and an interventionist foreign policy to promote democracy abroad.
• Organic Theory of Society: The concept that the state functions like a living organism where all parts must perform their specific functions for the whole to flourish, and where change must be slow and incremental.
• Political Rationalism: The approach of designing political and moral systems based solely on universally valid principles of reason, a method classical conservatives reject in favor of tradition.
• Populism: A political attitude centered on a sharp distinction between "the elites" (cultural, political, and business) and "the people," aiming to return power to ordinary citizens.
• Prudence: A political virtue emphasizing the recognition of the limitations of what is possible and prioritizing the continuance of social life over the pursuit of abstract perfection.
• Reagan-Thatcher Revolution: The political shift in the 1980s led by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher that moved conservatism toward a "business-first" approach and the belief that "government is the problem".
• Social Conservatism: A set of concerns aimed at protecting society from perceived moral or cultural threats—such as pornography or the erosion of the family—to maintain social cohesion.
• Social Engineering: State-led attempts to intentionally redesign or alter the structure of society according to a rational, centralized plan.
• Tory Touch: A thesis suggesting that Canada's political culture is distinguished from the United States by a stronger heritage of classical conservative (high Tory) values and institutions.
• Tradition: The accumulation of practices and modes of thought that have stood the test of time, serving as a "partnership between the living and the dead" and a guide for gradual social change.