Edmund Burke (1729-1797) - a prominent English parliamentary, political and public figure, writer, publicist, philosopher, founder of the conservative trend. His activities and work date back to the 18th century, he became a contemporary of the French Revolution, as well as a participant in the parliamentary struggle. His ideas and thoughts had a noticeable impact on socio-political thought, and his works each time caused a lively controversy in society.
Some facts from life
Edmund Burke, whose biography is the subject of this review, was born in Ireland in 1729. His father was a Protestant, his mother was a Catholic. He graduated from Trinity College in Dublin, and then, having decided to take up law, he went to London. However, here he was interested in the career of a writer. Edmund Burke became editor of the Annual Register, setting its direction and content for almost his entire life. Then he began his political career, becoming secretary to the prime minister (in 1765), and later a member of parliament. At the same time (1756), he wrote several essays-reflections, which brought him some popularity and allowed him to make acquaintances inliterary circles. Edmund Burke, whose main works are devoted to political and philosophical issues, became famous largely thanks to his parliamentary speeches, as well as pamphlets, which each time became the subject of lively discussions and disputes.
Political views
His parliamentary career began when he became secretary to the head of government, who belonged to the Whig party. Soon he took a leading position in the faction, which determined his political views. Edmund Burke, the founder of conservatism, nevertheless adhered to liberal views on some points. So, he was a supporter of reforms and believed that the power of the king should be based on the sovereignty of the people. He opposed absolute monarchy, believing that for a full-fledged political life in the country there should be parties with the opportunity to express their opinion directly and clearly.
Basics
But on other issues, Edmund Burke, whose main ideas are conservative, took a different position. So, being, in principle, a supporter of reforms, he nevertheless believed that these changes should be gradual and very careful so as not to upset the existing balance of power and not damage the system that had been formed for centuries. He opposed drastic and decisive reforms, believing that such actions would lead to chaos and anarchy.
About society
Edmund Burke, whose political viewssome reservations can be called conservative, opposed the actions of the British government in relation to the North American colonies. He called for them to be given economic freedom and to ease the tax burden, spoke of the need to abolish the stamp duty. He also criticized the activities of the East India Company in India and achieved a high-profile trial of the viceroy of the country, W. Hastings (1785). The process was quite high-profile and exposed many of the abuses of the British system of government in this country. Edmund Burke, whose conservatism was especially evident in the dispute with Hastings, argued that Western European norms and laws should apply in India, while his opponent, on the contrary, argued that they were unacceptable in Eastern countries.
French Revolution
It began in 1789 and shocked all European countries not only with a socio-political upheaval, but also with its ideas. The latter were sharply opposed by Edmund Burke, who argued that the views and theories of revolutionaries are speculative, abstract, have no real historical basis and therefore will never take root in society, since they have neither roots nor history. He contrasted real rights with natural ones. The latter, in his opinion, are only a theory, while in fact there are only those of them that have been worked out by the very course of the historical development of previous generations.
On society and the state
Edmund Burke, whose ideasbelong to the conservative direction, denied, did not accept and criticized the theory of the social contract J.-J. Rousseau, the essence of which is that the people themselves voluntarily renounce part of their freedoms and transfer to the state the responsibility for managing and protecting security. According to Burke, all political, social, economic institutions are based on life practice, on what has been developed over the centuries and tested by time. Therefore, it makes no sense, he said, to try to change the established order, it can only be carefully improved without any fundamental changes. Otherwise, chaos and anarchy will ensue, as happened in revolutionary France.
What he said about freedom
The author believed that social inequality and social hierarchy have always existed, therefore he considered the projects of revolutionaries to build a just society based on universal equality a utopia. Edmund Burke, whose aphorisms succinctly express the essence of his philosophy, argued that it was impossible to achieve general equality and universal independence.
He owns the following statement on this subject: "In order to have freedom, it must be limited." He considered the views of the revolutionaries as speculative constructions and pointed to the unrest that had come in France after the coup. Largely thanks to his pamphlet speeches against this revolution, the Tory government, headed by W. Pitt Jr., decided to start a war against the state. Edmund Burke, whose quotes speak of his conservativepositions, argued that a person can never be completely independent of society, he is somehow attached to it. He put it this way: "Abstract freedom, like other abstractions, does not exist."
Thoughts on aesthetics
Even at the very beginning of his literary work (1757), he wrote a work en titled "Philosophical study on the origin of our ideas of the sublime and beautiful." In it, the scientist expressed a new idea for his time that an individual's understanding of the aesthetic ideal does not depend on the perception of works of art, but on the inner world and spiritual needs. This essay brought him fame and took an important place in a number of works on aesthetics. This work has been translated into Russian, which indicates its fame.
Worldview
Edmund Burke, whose philosophy was also largely determined by the ideas of conservatism, expressed a number of interesting ideas about history and social order. So, for example, he believed that when carrying out reforms, it is necessary to take into account the specific experience accumulated by previous generations. He urged to be guided by specific examples, not abstract theories. In his opinion, this was the best way to transform the social structure. On this occasion, he owns the following statement: “An alien example is the only school of mankind, a person has never gone to another school and will not go.”
Traditional views
Edmund Burke considered the main value of the tradition that he called for to preserveand respect, because they are developed by life itself and are based on the real needs and needs of people, and do not come from speculative constructions. There is nothing worse, in his opinion, than disrupting this natural course of development, which is set by history and life itself. From these positions, he criticized the French events of his time in the famous essay Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790). He saw the fatality of the revolution in the fact that it destroyed the colossal spiritual experience accumulated by previous generations. He considered attempts to build a new society useless for civilization, since they only bring chaos and destruction.
Meaning
In the writings and speeches of Burke, for the first time, conservative ideas received their final ideological formalization. Therefore, he is considered to be the founder of classical conservatism. His philosophical views occupy a prominent place in the history of the development of socio-political thought, and vivid political speeches for the freedom of the North American colonies, against the abuse of British power in India, for the freedom of the Catholic religion in Ireland made him one of the prominent representatives of his time. His views, however, cannot be called unambiguously conservative, as he often adhered to liberal ideas.
