Edmund Burke
Anglo-Irish writer and Whig MP (1729–1797), widely credited as the founder of conservatism.
At a glance
Main ideas
Reform, not revolution, Inherited rights, Society as a partnership across generations …
See all 5Books to start with
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents, Reflections on the Revolution in France …
See all 4Connections
Adam Smith, Reflections on the Revolution in France and Rights of Man
See all 3
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Burke was an Anglo-Irish writer, philosopher and politician who sat in the House of Commons for the Whigs from 1766 to 1794.
- He criticised British policy toward the American colonies, supported Catholic emancipation and led the attempt to impeach Warren Hastings of the East India Company.
- His Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790) argued that the revolution was destroying good society and traditional institutions.
- That stand split the Whigs and made him the leading figure of the Old Whigs.
Why it matters
- In the 20th century he became widely regarded, especially in Britain and the United States, as the philosophical founder of conservatism.
Key facts
- Born
- 12 Jan 1729, Dublin, Ireland1
- Died
- 9 Jul 1797, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire1
- Education
- A Quaker school at Ballitore, County Kildare; Trinity College Dublin from 1744 to 1748, where he founded a debating club in 17471
- Member of Parliament
- From 1766 to 1794, for the Whigs; elected for Bristol in 17741
- Secretary
- Private secretary to the Marquess of Rockingham, Prime Minister, from 17651
- Annual Register
- Founded it with Robert Dodsley and was chief editor until at least 17891
- Faith
- A practising Anglican all his life; his mother was Roman Catholic1
Main ideas
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Reform, not revolution2
Change should be gradual and constitutional; doctrines built on abstractions like the rights of man can be used to justify tyranny.
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Inherited rights2
English liberties, from Magna Carta to the Declaration of Right, are an inheritance passed down, firmer than speculative rights.
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Society as a partnership across generations2
The state is a partnership among the living, the dead and those who are to be born.
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A representative owes his judgement1
An elected member should serve his constituents but not sacrifice his own judgement and conscience to their opinion.
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Against slavery1
He proposed barring slaveholders from the House of Commons and called slavery a "weed that grows on every soil".
Books to start with
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A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful1
His only purely philosophical work, on aesthetics; it drew the attention of Diderot and Kant.
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Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents1
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Reflections on the Revolution in France2
His attack on the French Revolution and a defining text of modern conservatism.
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An Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs1
Connections
Links
Sources
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