A. 2nd strand of modern conservatism
1. different elements of historical
conservatism than libertarianism
2. began to evolve in 1960's
3. strongest wave in 1980's
B. greatest problem in U.S.-- growth of government
1. libertarianism--loss of individual
freedom and choice
2. communitarianism--break-down of community
structures
C. How?
1. govt policies too neutral
on morality issues
a. separation of church
and state in constitution
1. built-in govt tolerance toward personal morality
2. strong social controls in place during Locke's era
b. modern breakdown
of traditional institutions
c. allows for too much
tolerance of social deviance & immorality
1.
destructive to culture and community values
2.
justified under 1st Amendment grounds
3.
ex. flag-burning
d. too secular, not spiritual
1. no school
prayer, legalized abortion
2. no moral
compass
3. keeping
God out of schools & govt. mistake
a. example: no nativity scenes allowed on government properties
b. public schools cannot celebrate Xmas- favoring one religion over another
c. suppresses important group identity of individuals
2. govt policies help weaken traditional family
a. "no fault" divorce (ex).
b. encourages women to move into
workplace
1. too much emphasis on equality
2. ignores natural differences
between sexes
3. individualism before family
needs
4. marriage penalty tax (punishes
families w/ stay-at-home mothers)
c. expansion of definition of family
1. ex. domestic partner benefits,
gay marriage
2. straying too far from traditional
structure
3. govt take-over of community functions weakens private
communities
a. before "New Deal" and "Great Society",
private communities
b. ppl cared for locally
1. churches, neighbors, charities,
local govts.
2. volunteerism is better
c personal giving strengthens community
1. reinforces personal obligation
& responsibilities to others
2. reciprocity
d. govt. distribution is depersonalized
1. breaks down feelings of obligation
towards others
2. those who receive feel stigma attached
a. leads to atomistic society
1. rootlessness, and
alienation
2. ppl vulnerable to
totalitarianism
a. human need to belong
b. susceptible to cults
D. ideal society
1. limited government
2. private communities strengthened
a. volunteerism
encouraged
b. more reinforcement
of traditional values and institutions
3. local control of policies
a. assume diversity between
communities
b. homogeneity &
consensus within communities
4. economy supported by small businesses
within the community
a. economic base reinforce
values of community
b. Locke's ideal
5. Amish -classic example of communitarian
society
a. community-based
economy that supports way of life
b. strict membership
rules enforced by leaders
1. reflect and
reinforce traditional culture and beliefs
2. violation
of rules means expulsion (shunning)
c. complementary roles
1. everyone contributes what
they are able to
2. everyone receives what
they need
3. no social security paid
or received
d. community values come before individual
freedom
1. in return, get to be member
of close-knit community
2. identity comes from group
membership
6. return traditional morality to public policy
a. overturn "no-fault" divorce
b. "shame-based" punishments revived
c. more discipline in schools
7. society should become explicitly spiritual
a. Missouri judge who displays 10 commandments
in court (example)
b. school prayer allowed
c. Judeo-Christian religious values implicit
in culture of nation
d. ex. should govt. pay for religious
counsellors in prisons? (Jensen's proposal)
8. encourage volunteerism to restore sense of community
a. impulse is still there
1. post 9/11 behavior
2. Habitat for Humanity
E. criticism of capitalism as economic form
1. contrast w/ libertarian view
a. market ensures
freedom and efficiency for citizens
b. competition
allows excellent individual to succeed
2. communitarian view
a. capitalism contributes
to materialism over spiritualism
b. due to workings of market
in late capitalist society
1. constructed
demand
2. planned obsolescence
c. emphasis on happiness defined through material
wealth
1. expense of family culture
a. material
goods not time, given to family
b. increase
in 2-income couples hurts family structure
d. capitalist market celebrates individual selfishness
& greed
1. commodity thinking
2. "throw away" society including
ppl
3. ppl judged by earnings,
not moral worth
a. some
things are lost in competition of market
1. small businesses contribute to community
2. economic support for community values
3. not best for society when driven out by competition
a. Vermont fought 10 years to keep Walmart out of state
b. destroy the culture of state
b. small industry support
fabric of society
1. family
farmers non-competitive
2. much
will be lost when they are no longer there.
3. way
of life will be gone, too
E. Pat Buchanan wants moratorium on immigration
1. drawn here by market
a. shortage
of technical workers
b. shortage
of unskilled labor
2. concerned that American cultural
values compromised
3. national sovereignty threatened
G. communitarian concern over neglect of employer's
obligations to employees
1. historical con: spirit
of chivalry, spirit of religion
2. owners often unwilling
to meet obligations to workers
a. example:
corporations relocate in 3rd world nations, destabilize communities
b. current
debate over products made in sweatshops, child labor
3. moral dimension should be present
in all interactions, not just private ones
H. after 1980, formation of Moral Majority
1. Jerry Falwell organized
2. pivotal issue was abortion
3. make govt policies reflect Judeo-Christian
beliefs
a. traditionally, the
values held at founding of nation
b.govt. should restrict
neg. liberty of some, to assert moral beliefs of community
c. Communitarians:
community comes before individual
4. Christian Coalition is contemporary form
a. strong political involvement at all
levels of politics
b. local--school boards (major influence)
1.institutions should reinforce
moral values
a. not marketplace
of ideas (libertarian ideas)
b. instead, culture
should reflect good values
c. emphasis needs
to be on reinforcement of trad. family & church
5. Lieberman represents communitarianism also
a. also opposes cultural images of Hollywood
b. explicitly uses religious beliefs in public
policy decisions
c. moral beliefs can also come from left- institute
ideas of social justice
J. Value priorities for communitarianism
1. community-private, homogeneous,
group with shared values and mutual obligations toward members. (most important)
2. freedom: positive freedom (free to enjoy the benefits of membership in the community)
3. equality: each person has equal moral
worth, but within community, principle of complementarity (ppl fill the
role they are best suited for).
4. justice: every member contributes what they are
able and receives what they need from the community.
5. individual negative liberty: least important
value.
a. reflects lack
of maturity
b. lack of concern
for community values
Problems w/ Communitarianism
1. Communitarianism assumes homogeneous society. Is
this the case?
2. Will a group-based solution work in a society so strongly grounded in individual freedom?
3. Can private institutions take over all the functions of welfare state? Aren't the problems too big not to need government assistance?
4. How difficult is to create legitimate change in
a communitarian society?