Edmund Burke Research Paper

1334 Words6 Pages
Edmund Burke (1729-1797) was born in Dublin, and is considered to be a founder of Modern Conservatism due to his theories of inheritance and traditions. In this essay I will discuss Burke’s standing on how changes within society would only be valid if based on the inheritance of traditions, how these affected the English government and the impact of Ireland during the 18th century. Burke wrote after the English Revolution (1647) and during the time of the American (1776) and French (1789) Revolutions, when the political world was changing in many ways. Importantly for Burke’s views, the emergence of new ways of life; from the turmoil and uncertainty of the revolutions, societies were becoming more and more based on popular radicalism. There…show more content…
However, Burke did not agree with the radical view about an innate reason, and proposed that due to different society’s traditions, and history, there cannot be one standard capable of managing all of humanity. The experiences of one society throughout history will be inherited (Burke, 1790). The thoughts and ideas which were passed down through the generations, moulded the way each group is governed and how individuals were to govern themselves, therefore reason cannot be universal as it is not the same for everybody. A world created with this ideology in Burkes view would be better than one created from human creativity (White,…show more content…
Burke argues in the Tract relating to Popery Laws (1765) that any law which goes against the majority is a form of persecution would go against God and would not be rational. The only way in which Catholics would be treated fairly by the government was to denounce their faith, and any Protestants who converted to Catholicism at the time would have had property removed and themselves put into prison with the knowledge that when they were released the government would not give them any protection. In 1782 the Irish Parliament was given law-making freedom. The English governments’ role in Ireland is defended by Burke through his ideas of inheritance, such that, because English government has had a role in Ireland though out history, the next generation had a duty to continue this tradition based on the experience it has provided and the argument that it would have change if it had not been working. However, the events which followed, namely the Irish Rebellion of 1798, brought about partly due to the French Revolution, caused the Irish government to dissolve and a union between the United Kingdom and Ireland
Show More
Related

  • Edmund Burke French Revolution Summary

    844 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edmund Burke’s Reflection on the Revolution in France served to express his opposition to the French Revolution. Since its creation in 1790, his work has been an essential influence on conservatism. To summarize briefly, Burke argues against the Enlightenment thinkers and their rationality, while at the same time supporting classical conservatism values such as tradition and the church. His arguments will be examined and analyzed in this paper while his goals are outlined. To break down Burke’s

    Read More

  • Bernard Manin's The Future Of Representative Democracy

    1484 Words  | 6 Pages

    Bentham, Edmund Burke, and James Madison along with more contemporary scholars like Charles Lindblom and Robert Dahl . However, this book is more pertinent to understand the philosophical background of the American system of political representation. Bernard Manin, (1997)74 in his work “The Principles of Representative Government" discusses the thoughts of Rousseau and examines the complex relationship that exists between the ideal of democracy and the representative government

    Read More

More about Edmund Burke Research Paper

Open Document