Question

Research has consistently found that politically conservative people oppose government policies, such as affirmative action, that are intended to increase equal opportunity. The a) principled conservatism interpretation of these findings is that conservatives oppose such programs because

b) political conservatism is the same as authoritarianism and so reflects authoritarian principles.
c) social dominance is a basic principle of political conservatism.
d) all conservatives are basically racist.
e) equality is a basic conservative principle and programs such as affirmative action create inequalities by favoring some groups over others.

Answer 1

Option (c), Principled conservatism suggests that conservatives oppose programs like affirmative action because they believe these create inequalities instead of promoting equal opportunity, favoring local redistribution efforts.

Step-by-step explanation:

The principled conservatism interpretation of opposition to government policies like affirmative action asserts that conservatives view such programs as creating inequalities rather than alleviating them. They believe in equality as a principle, but posit that affirmative action leads to preferential treatment, thus contradicting the goal of equal opportunity.

Conservatism places value on traditional social structures and property rights, seeing them as checks against governmental power and upholding societal stability. While not inherently opposed to redistribution or assistance for severe poverty, conservatives argue for local solutions as opposed to national interventions.