Essay On Edmund Burke Absolutism Vs Traditionalism

Edmund Burke, as a conservative theorist, claims that England’s preference for restoration over revolution makes the Glorious Revolution more legitimate than the French Revolution. To substantiate this, Burke quips, “We are not the converts of Rousseau…” to hastily dismiss the French philosophe based on his Enlightenment reputation (75). In comparing Rousseau’s conservatism with Burke’s, it’s important to categorize conservative thought into two genera: foundationalism and traditionalism. While foundationalist conservatives believe that there is a distinct, morally correct way to govern, traditionalist conservatives are grounded in the continuity of government for the purpose of stability. While these two categories are reductionistic, the

However, these two terms are not synonyms, and positing them as such creates a false equivalence, despite conservation one meaning to resist change, and correction to change. Despite this tension, both Burke and Rousseau include elements of both conservation and correction. Burke discounts Rousseau, but sounds remarkably similar to Rousseau in his support of revolution, followed by the condition of moderation. Clarifying that revolution would be advisable under some circumstances, Burke “do[es] most heartily wish that France may be animated by a spirit of rational liberty” believing that “a revolution will be the very last resource of the thinking and the good,” but cautioning that “the very idea of the fabrication of a new government is enough to fill us with disgust and horror” (4, 27). Burke further demonstrates his traditionalist views by cautioning, “A state without the means of some change is without the means of its own preservation,” demonstrating that the need for continuity is more significant than a need to respect foundational beliefs (19). Burke further demonstrates his conservatism when he explains the benefit of Britain’s ability to adapt (traditionalism), yet respect foundational principles: “in what we improve we are never wholly new; in what we retain we are never wholly obsolete (30). Burke expresses that he fears change as much as he fears societal