Edmund Burke

Background
Burke was a hugely influential Anglo-Irish politician, political thinker,
ultimately one of the founders of British Conservatism.

Born in Dublin 1729-1797, the son of a solicitor.

Well educated man: trinity college, dropped out of middle temple

law

After study he travelled Europe a little bit, then settled in London to

pursue a literary/political career interesting that the encyclopedia
just lumped those two things together?!

Career
Became a member of parliament in 1765-1794 for the Whig party, first in
Bristol for 6 years, which was 2nd city - but this was a really genuine
openly fought seat and he later moved to a safer seat in Malton.
Tories vs Whigs was quite a hazy boundary at this point?
The difference between Whigs and Tories changed in light of the glorious
revolution in 1688/9
We would probably mostly consider the Whigs were more progressive and
Tories more in favor of older values. The differences sometimes weakened
and some Whig factions joined with Tories and became absorbed by them
so there was some mobility between the two. Pitt the elder was a Whig
whilst Pitt the younger was a Tory?! Both were Prime Minister!
Whigs:

advocated personal freedom

maintained that the king governed at the people's consent

said that sovereignty rested, ultimately, with the people

were strong supporters of William III and his wife Mary, and
maintained a virtual monopoly of political power during their reign.

Whig Party, led by Charles James Fox, came to represent the

interests of religious dissenters, industrialists, and others who
sought electoral, parliamentary, and philanthropic reforms.

Tories:

the constituted authority of the Church of England

the divine right of kingship

parliamentary privilege based on the ownership of land.

After 1784 William Pitt the Younger emerged as the leader of a new
Tory Party, which broadly represented the interests of the country
gentry, the merchant classes, and official administerial groups.
So he was very much not just a politician but a political theorist,
widely interested in governance and how that should work, both
pragmatically or morally I would say possibly more in a pragmatic sense.

Political Career:
Burke's activity as a parliamentarian and political writer embraced a great
many concerns. Prominent amongst these were the problems of British
rule overseas, in North America, India and Ireland.
America: Burke argued that British policy had been inflexible and called
for more pragmatism. He believed that government should be a
cooperative relationship between rulers and subjects and the need for
willingness to adapt to the inevitability of change.
India: He concluded that Indian governmental corruption had to be
resolved by removing patronage from interested parties like the East
India Company fairer trade. He proposed that India be governed by
independent commissioners in London, but a bill to this end was
defeated.
His arguments for long-lived constitutional conventions, political
parties, and the independence of an MP once elected still carry
weight. He is justly regarded as one of the founders of the British
Conservative tradition.
Burke's earliest writings include
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and
Beautiful (1757),
A Vindication of Natural Society (1756). Thereafter he was
co-author of An Account of the European Settlements (1757) and
began An Abridgement of English History (c.175762). From 1758, at least
until 1765, he was the principal conductor of the new Annual Register.
He published parliamentary speeches notably on American Taxation
(1774), Conciliation with America (1775), and Fox's East India Bill (1783).

These printed speeches, though anchored to specific occasions, and

certainly intended to have a practical effect in British politics, were also
meant to embody Burke's thought in a durable form.
French Revolution
France: The outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 gave Burke his
greatest target. He expressed his hostility in 'Reflections on the Revolution
in France' (1790). The book provoked a huge response, including Thomas
Paine's 'The Rights of Man'. Burke emphasized the dangers of mob rule,
fearing that the Revolution's fervor was destroying French society. He
appealed to the British virtues of continuity, tradition, rank and property
and opposed the Revolution to the end of his life.- was probably the
greatest single factor in turning British public opinion against the French
Revolution
Reflections on the Revolution in France was intended to warn the people
of England against being caught up by the same enthusiasm for
destructive change that Burke saw infecting the citizens of France.
Despite his early reputation as a reformer, Burke's Reflections expressed
fears that revolutionary ideals would violently destroy essential British
traditions and institutions. These views led him to break with the Whigs
and side with the Tories, for whom he became a figurehead.
Was he worried about France or the precedent it would set for England?
The Book
Reflections was published on 1 November 1790, less than eighteen
months after the storming of the Bastille. Burke's Reflections may be
divided (for the author did not provide any formal divisions) into two
portions of unequal length.
I picked three main lines of argument from Reflections One of Burkes biggest arguments is in favor of tradition. He argues that
by adheringon those principles to our forefathers, we are guided not by
the superstitions of antiquarians, (antiquarians in this case were the
philosophers who promoted enlightenment
He believed that having strong institutions can help maintain stability, and
if the institutions are able to avoid corruption, than they can be a strong
force to help the populace. While institutions and tradition have their roles
to play, one should not believe that they are infallible, or that they should
never be changed.
Another important argument that Burke makes against the revolution in
France (and against the enlightenment in general) is that it disregards the

value of private property. He states that the power of perpetuating our

property in our families is one of the most valuable and interesting
circumstances, and is that which tends the most to the perpetuation of
society itself (Wootton 512). This is justified according to him because
men have a right to the fruit of their industry, and to the means of
making their industry fruitful
A large part of Burkes argument is his discussion against reason. He
argues that reason alone is an inadequate substitute for the power of the
institution, saying that that sort of reason which banishes the affections
(for the state and institution) is incapable of filling their place (Wootton,
516). Burke is essentially arguing that when people employ reason, it
strips away the majesty and mystery that helps give these institutions
their power, removing the loyalty they may have had to them. Burkes
argument here rings of sentimentality and nostalgia towards his existing
civil institutions.
Really, he could be accused of being a bit of a sentimentalist?