French Revolution Essay -- essays research papers

ON 9th JULY 1797 the national leader and the philosopher Edmund slay died, after having contracted stomach cancer. He was buried in Beaconsfield Church near his Buckinghamshire home. Burke had been a distinguished Member of fan tan but never attained high office. His policy-making career mustiness be judged a failure.However, Edmund Burkes true legacy was contained in his extensive writings. In letters,pamphlets and books he expounded a coherent system of ideas about kind-hearted constitutionthe organic state the benefits of prejudicethe dangers of government by secret consensus and the fibre of political parties.Two hundred years on, or so scholars would agree that Burke had a gift for deep analysis conveyed in stylish slope prose.Yet the content of his work though remains controversial. Supporters included the poet William Wordsworth, who c every(prenominal)ed Burke "the most sagacious politician of his age". Karl Marx, on the early(a) hand, complained in hyrax Kapital that Burke was a bourgeois stooge of the English ruling class. Marxists took special offence at Burkes critique of egalitarianism, perhaps realising the radical threat which this presented to their feature vision of a future society.Modern liberals and conservatives still acclaim both(prenominal) of Burkes ideas, but their interest is largely rhetorical. Burkes liberal tendencies would almost certainly non go far enough for todays liberals. His support for the abolition of slavery was further gradualist, his religious toleration did not extend to atheists (whom he saw as dangerous criminals) and, whilst in favour of curbing royal patronage, Burke back up monarchy and aristocracy. Meanwhile, his conservative defence of Parliament, the nation and the Anglican Church would presumably be a sheer embarrassment to todays Conservative Party, which has embraced European Union and a secular, free market ideology.This two-part article willing outline some of Edmund Burkes get wind ideas and assess their relevance to nationalism. His contribution is an important one. Sadly, Burkes clarity and complete inadequacy of political correctness must limit his appeal in the groundbreaking age. In 1997 and beyond Burke seems destined to become a forgotten prophet except to those who challenge the prevailing orthodoxy. 1.THE NATURE OF MAN each societies are based on a particular view of human nature. Todays view, springing from Enlightenment philosophy, is that peo... ...ng nature is unworkable, equality is "a monstrous fiction" (7). At worst, ambitious elites use equality as a pretext to apportion resources to themselves. At best,well-intentioned people see equality as no more than than a benign aspiration. They think it would be just in conjecture but of course not when applied to themselves in practice, lest this endanger their induce privileges. This is perhaps the greater error. "Abstract principles,however appealing, cannot be applied direct ly to wreak real political problems. Any attempt to do so will have futile or harmful results. There is no such(prenominal) thing as a political principle which is good in itself, but not practicable. If it is not practicable then it is not good.In Part II of Edmund Burkes Legacy the focus will be on other pertinent aspects of Burkes thought. These include his views onprejudice as being a form of wisdom "human rights" as being rooted in a specific culture rather than inherited by all people the dangers of a dual system of government (open and secret) and Burkes belief that political parties should be ideological and that their ideologies should involved "pursuing the national interest.