I often give my son a history assignment during the summer. I have lots of history books. One of my favorites is
"
The Illustrated History of Europe". I asked my son to
go through this book and start reading on whatever picture grabbed his interest.
Evidently, he landed on Luddites (The Machine-Breakers). So we discussed it this evening, but it left me with some questions of my own.
For those who are unaware of the Luddites, I have two links for you. First is the reference we love to hate, the
Wiki Entry for Luddite.
Secondly is an
article written in 1984 by Thomas Pynchon
I was always fascinated with this group myself, given my predilection for technology.
My question to the group is, how would/should we view this group given the political terms of today.
For example, are they
conservative or liberal?
Webster says that
the definition of conservatism is:
Date 1832
1 a: the principles and policies of a Conservative party
b: the Conservative party
2 a: disposition in politics to preserve what is established
b: a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing established institutions, and preferring gradual development to abrupt
change; specifically : such a philosophy calling for lower taxes, limited government regulation of business and investing, a strong national defense,
and individual financial responsibility for personal needs (as retirement income or health-care coverage)
3: the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change
Luddites definitely preferred the existing and traditional situation to change. Yet, they were also against Free Trade and Open Markets, which are
both now bastions of Conservatism.
Webster also says that the
definition of liberalism is:
Date 1819 (Note: dated about 13 years before the term "conservatism")
1: the quality or state of being liberal
2 a often capitalized : a movement in modern Protestantism emphasizing intellectual liberty and the spiritual and ethical content of Christianity
b: a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition, the self-regulating market, and the gold
standard
c: a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for
the protection of political and civil liberties dcapitalized : the principles and policies of a Liberal party
So, according to Webster, the Free Market Capitalists that the Luddites were against were Liberals based on at least definition 2b and 2c.
I eventually come to the conclusion that the definitions of Conservatism and Liberalism must be oddly skewed today from these classical definitions
I'm getting from Webster.
My questions are, why? And what views would we would have of the Luddites through todays lens?
[edit on 30-7-2008 by Quazga]
