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Edmund Burke's Moral Traditionalism
Author(s) -
Haller Markus
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
swiss political science review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.632
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1662-6370
pISSN - 1424-7755
DOI - 10.1002/j.1662-6370.2001.tb00320.x
Subject(s) - traditionalism , prudence , politics , moral order , order (exchange) , law , sociology , environmental ethics , political philosophy , epistemology , political science , philosophy , social science , humanities , economics , finance
Abstract Edmund Burke's defense of moral traditionalism is shown to rest upon two controversial premises regarding the effects of cultural and legal traditions: first, that the observation of traditions is necessary in order to preserve civil peace and freedom, and second, that the observation of traditions is necessary if political or institutional changes are to be made according to the common interest of citizens. A critical examination of the evidence in support of these premises suggests, however, that the observation of traditions is not morally required though it may sometimes be recommended by prudence.