Essay Comparing Burke And Wollstonecraft
In the modern political theory, a constant tension between organic view and enlightened view on the interpretations of political institutions is apparent. The chasm between organic view and enlightened view of politics was the most apparent on the concept of social hierarchy. This essay therefore seeks to analyze why Burke and Wollstonecraft, the prominent thinkers of each stream of thought, maintained different perspectives on what impact the system of social hierarchy would pose to the society as well as to the civilization. Burke claimed that hierarchical interdependence among social ranks was an essential feature to establish social harmony and to bring social progress whereas Wollstonecraft claimed that hierarchical interdependence constrained
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The spirit of innovation thus, was predicted to bring destruction rather than progress as such spirit incited “personal pride and arrogance” (Burke, 46) in individuals, who clearly did not possess the rational capacity to develop political institutions on their own. On the other hand, nature on its own had brought progress to the civilization through natural inventions, which were otherwise unimaginable within the boundaries of human rationality (Burke, 33). Political institutions thus, had to be in “symmetry with the order of the world” (Burke, 34) that evolved in conjunction with nature. Burke perceived nature as an indefinite source of virtue and wisdom, the two essential principles in bringing progress to the civilization. As individuals acted in conformity to nature, they came to embody the natural instincts that were later translated into public affections towards the nation as well as all institutional practices that constituted the nation (Burke, 47). These natural sentiments were especially active in fortifying human rationality by cultivating virtue and wisdom. Thus, it was imperative for individuals to act in accordance with the methods of nature since the powerful sentiments they derived from nature paved the foundations of civil society where the progress on commerce and act, the fundamental principles of the state, was
The spirit of innovation thus, was predicted to bring destruction rather than progress as such spirit incited “personal pride and arrogance” (Burke, 46) in individuals, who clearly did not possess the rational capacity to develop political institutions on their own. On the other hand, nature on its own had brought progress to the civilization through natural inventions, which were otherwise unimaginable within the boundaries of human rationality (Burke, 33). Political institutions thus, had to be in “symmetry with the order of the world” (Burke, 34) that evolved in conjunction with nature. Burke perceived nature as an indefinite source of virtue and wisdom, the two essential principles in bringing progress to the civilization. As individuals acted in conformity to nature, they came to embody the natural instincts that were later translated into public affections towards the nation as well as all institutional practices that constituted the nation (Burke, 47). These natural sentiments were especially active in fortifying human rationality by cultivating virtue and wisdom. Thus, it was imperative for individuals to act in accordance with the methods of nature since the powerful sentiments they derived from nature paved the foundations of civil society where the progress on commerce and act, the fundamental principles of the state, was