Organic society or state

(Taken from Pearson p89-91)

Given that conservatives regard humans as dependent and security-seeking, it follows that people cannot exist separately from society as a whole or from social groups, such as the family or the local community. Society and social groups provide individuals with a sense of security and purpose, and prevent the development of anomie: a condition of instability affecting individuals and societies, produced by a breakdown in social standards and values or by a lack of purpose or ideals.

In turn, humans accept the duties, responsibilities and bonds that go with belonging to society or social groups, such as being a caring parent, a considerate neighbour, or a respectful son or daughter. For conservatives, this represents true freedom – the willing acceptance of the value of social obligations and ties. If people did not acknowledge and act on these responsibilities and bonds, human society would lack social cohesion and descend into atomism.

These assumptions lead conservatives to endorse organicism: the idea of an organic society or state. This perspective views society as a living organism, with all its parts working together in harmony, to ensure that the ‘body’ remains healthy.

Here, two considerations are important.

• The internal elements of an organic society or state cannot be randomly reconfigured. Like a living creature, an organic society is maintained by a delicate set of relationships between these elements. If this careful balance is disturbed, the society will be undermined and possibly destroyed. For this reason, say conservatives, an organic society represents more than a collection of individual elements.
• An organic society is based on natural needs and instincts such as affection, security and concern, rather than an ideological blueprint devised by political theorists. Such a view of society – where its component parts have been moulded by natural forces beyond human control – suggests that its members should sustain this careful balance of interacting elements. In particular, long-standing institutions have played a key role in preserving the ‘health’ of society and should not be changed or removed.

Underpinning the idea of an organic society is the conservative belief in hierarchy and authority. Traditionally, conservatism has argued that society is naturally hierarchical – it is based on fixed social ranks and inequalities. This is partly to do with the fact, say conservatives, that individuals vary in terms of their talents, intellect, skills and work rate. However, conservatism maintains that an organic society must rest on inequality, not just because of individual differences but also because different classes and groups (like different limbs and organs) have to perform specific roles. For example, some have to provide political leadership or manage commercial enterprises, while others have to perform routine manual or non-manual work, or raise children at home. Consequently, an organic society produces natural inequalities in terms of financial rewards and social status.

Such an arrangement, according to conservatives, can be justified because the most advantaged also bear the heaviest social responsibilities. Managers and employers enjoy higher living standards than their workers, but they carry the burden of protecting the jobs and economic well-being of their workforces. In this sense, a hierarchical organic society encourages paternalism as a means to ensure social cohesion.

For conservatives, the hierarchical structure of organic society is reinforced by authority. Conservatism contends that authority develops naturally or organically in much the same way as society. This form of authority operates in a top-down manner, shapes relations between the different social groups, and permeates all social institutions. Authority therefore resides with political leaders, employers, managers, teachers, parents, and so on.

Conservatives argue that authority performs a vital and positive function by providing humans with security, direction and support. Authority also promotes social cohesion by giving people a clear sense of how they ‘fit in’ and what they are expected to do. The leadership exercised by those in authority not only offers discipline, but also an example to be admired, respected and accepted.

Most conservatives assert that the actions of people holding such authority are limited by the natural responsibilities that accompany their privileged position. Employers, for example, have authority over their workers but this does not give them the right to abuse employees.

YOUR TASK:

1. Read the extract.
2. Identify 10 key words that would help you explain the concept of organic society by underlining or highlighting them in the above passages.
3. Match the keywords to the definitions below:
   1. Atomism
   2. Human imperfection
   3. Hierarchy
   4. Authority
   5. Change to conserve