Edmund Burke

 

Edmund Burke, an Irish political philosopher, was conservative and a member of the British House of Commons. He disagreed with contract theory of state presented by liberals and was a proponent of change being gradual, not revolutionary.  His argument about the French Revolution was that it disregarded the complexities of human nature and society. His political principles were rooted in moral natural law and he was not a supporter of the French Revolution.  He had specific ideologies of how a republic should work. One of his views surrounded elections where he quoted:

“But when the leaders choose to make themselves bidders at an auction of popularity, their talents, in the construction of the state, will be of no service. They will become flatterers instead of legislators; the instruments, not the guides, of the people.”

 

I would agree with Burke’s argument that in a republic it is the duty of elected officials to vote their conscience, stand up for their own beliefs, and not the will of their constituents. This goes against what we think of our democracy for quite some time. Often, candidates put on a dog and pony show for what the people want to hear. I do not believe that the Founders intended it to be this way.  The Constitution was formed to protect the people from the government and various individual liberties of American citizens.  The framers intended for the elected officials to have superior knowledge of the issues at hand to make informed decisions on important topics. 

Clearly, Burke emphasizes in this quote that he disapproved of popularity over leadership. I chose this quote because I believe in choosing the right leadership aligning one’s ideals with that of the candidate.  Many Americans cast their vote just to participate, select the candidate that projects all the promises on one’s checklist of the ideal leader, or simply make an uninformed decision and follow the popular group.