Political Thought🤯 CH3 (Edmund Burke > 1729-1797)

1 Background
• EB > born in 1729 > Dublin, Ireland.
• EB> 1 studied law, 2 switched to literature.
• EB> in 1765 pursued a political, and elected to the House of Commons, and
remained a member of the Parliament until his death.
o He practice politics > “he was politician”
• From 1770 until the American Revolution (1775-1783) EB was the London
agent of the State of New York and criticized British misgovernment for causing
unrest in American colonies.
o ‫ﻛﺎن ﻣﺳؤول" اﻟوﻛﯾل" ﻋن ﻧﯾوﯾورك وھو ﻓﻲ ﻟﻧدن‬
o ‫اﻧﺗﻘد ﺣﻛوﻣﺗﮫ ﻟﺳوء اﻟﺣﻛم واﻟﺗﻌﺎﻣل ﻣﻊ اﻟﻣﺳﺗﻌﻣرة اﻻﻣرﯾﻛﯾﺔ‬
• His best-known political book >> Reflections on the Revolution in France-1790.
• the founder of the western Conservative thought & the author of
representative democracy
2 contradiction ‫ﺗﻧﺎﻗﺿﺎت‬
1) EB support the American revolution and reject the French revolution!!
2) because EB rejects the French Revolution which was calling for liberty Some
people think that he is against the right of people, but in the same time he is
known as the author of representative democracy!!
3) EB was Again changed but in the same time he says that some type of change
is acceptable??
3 The Political Thought of Edmund Burke
D EB is described as the founder of modern conservatism.
D Mostly Because he rejects the French revolution “which support liberal ideas”
D He does not accept the idea of “rationalism” in politics; instead, he believes
that politics can only be conducted according to principles rooted in previous
experience & practice.
D EB> does not accept the idea of “rationalism & social contract”
D he believed that people are not capable of understanding many complex things
in life
D Previous>> tradition Heritage, experience>> what we know about previous
people who have practiced” tradition & heritage “before. >> So, by this, you
will be able to know what is legitimacy and correct? & what is not?
D EB argues that human beings live by arrangements that long trial and
experience have shown to be successful.
D Established traditional institutions and practices have emerged through a slow
process in which people have accommodated themselves to changing
circumstances.
• This is what EB believes in
• By looking at your tradition you will find wisdom
• The institution we have today is the result of a long process that takes
place in history.
• EX: the golf monarchy ‫ اﻟﻧظم اﻟﻣﻠﻛﯾﺔ اﻟوراﺛﯾﺔ ﻓﻲ دول اﻟﺧﻠﯾﺞ‬is an example
because they are not modern but they are carryover of a tradition that
starts a hundred years and continue until today

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Political Thought🤯 CH3 (Edmund Burke > 1729-1797)

D EB believes that the very existence of any long-established order/institution

endorses that order.
• ‫ﻣﺟرد وﺟود وﺑﻘﺎء ﻣؤﺳﺳﺔ ﺳﯾﺎﺳﯾﺔ ﺗﻘﻠﯾدﯾﺔ ﻗدﯾﻣﺔ ﺗﻌطﻰ ھذه اﻟﻣؤﺳﺳﺔ اﻟﺷرﻋﯾﺔ‬
o If this institution was not good it Will never exist
4 Burke’s Political Thought: Society
• All we know about human society >is complex
• Human society > not created by any single generation, it is extensive & unified
historical partnership between>> those who are living, those who are dead,
and those who are yet to be born.
o "‫ﯾرﻓض ﻓﻛرة "اﻟﻌﻘد ﺑﯾن اﻟﺣﻛوﻣﺔ واﻟﺷﻌب" ﻟﻛﻧﮫ ﯾرﺟﺢ ﻓﻛرة "اﻟﻌﻘد ﺑﯾن اﻷﺟﯾﺎل‬
• Society is a complex entity that cannot be understood by any one individual or
group, or during any single generation.
• To try to destroy existing society and build a new one from scratch is,
therefore, a disrespectful stupidity.
o Ex: the revolutionaries> believe if the existing older is a bad one
so it’s okay for them to destroy this because of the idea “they
are enough rational understanding the order” which means they
know how to create new institution>>EB think> this idea has no
sense because the society is complex
5 Burke’s Political Thought: Culture
D The values that should govern human society cannot be reduced to dogmatic
abstractions (EX: “rights of man”).
D Human societies are the products of a long and intricate history. People are
created by the culture of which they are a part, and people can only be
considered in relation to that culture.
D People do not have rights independent from or in spite of the culture of the
society.
D The manners, customs, and laws that people have are parts of the culture of
the society.
• To replace these in the name of untried political doctrines is to consider
human association without the things that have created human society
in the first place.
6 Burke’s Political Thought: Revolutionary Change
• Revolutionary Change is a destructive insult to nature; it is a departure from
the known in favor of the dangerous unknown.
• If reform is absolutely necessary, it should be made gradually.
§ Reform should only take place in response to changing needs and
conditions as they happen.
• Reform should be directed to address a specific problem and should have no
other purposes.
§ Reform should preserve existing harmonies, and there should always
be a belief in favor of leaving things alone.
• EB was in favor of established Church and was convinced that a landed
aristocracy is essential for maintaining the complex society.
7 Burke’s Political Thought: Conservatism
D EB conservatism consists of these generalizations

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Political Thought🤯 CH3 (Edmund Burke > 1729-1797)

1. The present state of things is the sum total of all past developments
2. The present sate of things is too complex to understand
3. Interfering with the present state of things is, therefore, dangerous;
4. Arrangements that work well enough are best left alone.
D EB supported the American Revolution (1775-1783), but he rejected the
French Revolution (1789-1799).
D His stance on the two revolutions seemed contradictory, but it can be
explained:
§ The American revolution was defending the traditional right of
Englishmen not be taxed without representation
§ The French revolution removed an established traditional order in favor
of the unfounded and speculative view of the ‘rights of man’.
8 Burke’s Political Thought
• EB strongly favored limited royal power and supported the role of political
parties in maintaining a principled opposition capable of preventing abuses by
the monarch or by specific factions within the government.
§ His political ideas in this respect helped formulate the constitutional
monarchy model.
• EB supported the interests of the people.
§ He advocated the principles of representative democracy.
§ His political ideas helped to formulate the delegate model of political
representation.
• EB preference for the established order, defense of local and national
traditions, and support of careful reforms are important aspects of
conservatism.
NOTE: EB= Edmund Burke

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Political Thought🤯 CH3 (Edmund Burke > 1729-1797)

SUMMERY of important points

• The Founder of modern conservatism.
• the author of representative democracy
• does not accept the idea of “rationalism” in politics.
• Support the idea of previous experience & practice.
• current generation cannot make changes in society > 1-they don’t have the right because
society owned by past, future and present generation and 2- society is complex
• Conservatism believes that changes can happen, but it should be calculated, limited and
slowly.
• argues human beings live by arrangements – gives too much values to the past.
• traditional institutions emerged through a slow process. (slow and long)
• the very existence of any long-established order endorses that order. (ex: gulf monarchy
system)
• human society is a complex entity + not created by any single generation but unified
historical partnership between those who are living + dead + who are yet to be born.
• Destroying existing society is disrespectful stupidity.
• The values: Human rights + equality+ justice is dogmatic abstractions.
• Human societies are the products of a long and intricate history.
• People do not have rights independent from or in spite of the culture of the society.
• The manners, customs, and laws that people have are parts of the culture of the society
• Revolutionary Change is a destructive insult to nature – just fix + reform (only take place in
response to changing needs and conditions as they happen+ directed to address a specific
problem + always be a belief in favor of leaving things alone)
• (encourage) He favor of established Church + aristocracy is essential for maintaining the
complex society.
• conservatism consists of 4 generalizations: present state of things is 1- the sum total of all
past developments + 2- too complex to understand + 3- Interfering with it is dangerous + 4-
Arrangements that work well enough are best left alone.
• supported the American Revolution (1775-1783), was defending the traditional right of
Englishmen not be taxed without representation
• rejected the French Revolution (1789-1799), removed an established traditional order in
favor of the unfounded and speculative view of the ‘rights of man’.
• strongly favored limited royal power
• supported the role of political parties in maintaining a principled opposition capable of
preventing abuses by the monarch
• supported the interests / Rights of the people
• advocated the principles of representative democracy
• important aspects of conservatism: Burke’s preference for the established order + defense
of local and national traditions + support of careful reforms

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