In the history of Psychology, philosophy has always had a great influence, that discipline from which it emerged in the 19th century. The way in which human beings and the personal relationships they establish are usually understood, for example, depends on intuitive, pre-scientific perspectives, which have been influenced by the main Western thinkers.
The philosopher Edmund Burke was one of these people, and his conservative approach to analyzing the logic by which society operates is still valid today. Next we will see what Edmund Burke’s philosophical theory consisted of and what implications it has.
Edmund Burke was born in Dublin in 1729, during the Enlightenment. From his youth he understood that philosophy had a spatial relevance for politics, since it helped to understand how to consider abstract themes that were manifested through crowds and, in addition, it established moral indications to follow, which allow for proposing systems of social order.
The above led him to participate in the English parliament between 1766 and 1794 During this period he defended the right of the English colonies to become independent, and in fact he positioned himself against the occupation of North America. Economically, as we will see, he was a radical defender of the free market.
Edmund Burke’s theory
The main aspects of Edmund Burke’s philosophical theory, as they relate to human behavior and social phenomena, are as follows.
Burke understood that human society does not only exist to enable individuals to exchange goods and services, as it might seem from a materialist perspective. For this philosopher there is something else that gives value beyond the simple observable exchange through payment and joint surveillance of a common space.
This “extra” is virtue, the arts and sciences, which are products of society. It is a component that ennobles human beings and, according to Burke, distinguishes them from animals.
2. The idea of the contract
Through this double exchange, both material and spiritual, human beings establish a social contract, a series of negotiated conventions as long as civilization is maintained and its fruits are enjoyed by the greatest number of people.
3. Civilization has deep roots
This virtuous component that human beings obtain through mutual support does not exist for no reason. It has its origin in tradition, in the way in which each culture remains faithful to its customs, their past and the way they honor their ancestors. Relying on the cultural contributions that we inherit from previous generations is something that allows us to progress, then, according to this thinker.
This way of understanding society does not keep it separate from its origin, but understands it as a living being that develops and matures.
4. Individual guilt
At the same time, Edmund Burke emphasized another element that, for him, was inherited: Christian original sin He thus opposed the idea that society can bring us closer to immoral acts or bring us closer to them through progress: guilt exists independently of the educational influences of the society in which we live and, in any case, the company of others It helps to manage it thanks to the fact that the flame of religion is kept alive in the community.
In general, Edmund Burke opposed revolutions, paradigm changes in a society This is because he understood that each culture must develop at its “natural” pace (remember the analogy with the living being). Revolutions, by their very definition, involve questioning many ideas rooted in the past and customs that have shaped civil and political life, and consequently result, for him, in an artificial imposition.
6. Defense of the free market
While in the social sphere Edmund Burke encouraged the active defense of traditional values and customs beyond any debate about their usefulness in specific situations, in the economic sphere he opposed socialized control. That is defended the free movement of capital The reason is that this was a way of reaffirming the importance of private property, which, in line with other philosophers of the time, he considered an extension of one’s own body.
Definitely
Edmund Burke believed that human beings can only be understood taking into account their inclusion in a social framework of habits, beliefs and customs with strong roots in what their ancestors did.
In this way he emphasized the importance of the social and, at the same time, he was able to establish a distinction between the cultural and economic spheres, in which the logic of private property predominated.
