Event Title
Section and Paper
Section 1: Paper 4
Description
I argue that conservatism and communitarianism are not two distinct positions, but instead two names for the same approach to social and political arrangements and issues. Three reasons are offered for this claim: first, both conservatism and communitarianism can be understood as reactions to liberalism; second, both rely on communal traditions, rather than reason, to justify social and political prescriptions; and, finally, both are flexible in regard to their social and political prescriptions. Some practical applications of my thesis include a better understanding of how Donald Trump is the new face of conservatism in America and how a communitarian approach to political life could be divisive.
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58
Last Page
71
Included in
Conservatism and Communitarianism: Two or One?
I argue that conservatism and communitarianism are not two distinct positions, but instead two names for the same approach to social and political arrangements and issues. Three reasons are offered for this claim: first, both conservatism and communitarianism can be understood as reactions to liberalism; second, both rely on communal traditions, rather than reason, to justify social and political prescriptions; and, finally, both are flexible in regard to their social and political prescriptions. Some practical applications of my thesis include a better understanding of how Donald Trump is the new face of conservatism in America and how a communitarian approach to political life could be divisive.
Comments
M. C. Young, PhD, is an instructor in Philosophy and Political Science at Keyano College in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. His research interests and publications focus on political theory, epistemic agency and virtue theory.