Kieron O'Hara is a philosopher,

computer scientist A computer scientist is a scientist who specializes in the academic study of computer science. Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation. Although computer scientists can also focus their work and research on ...

and political writer. He is an associate professor and principal research fellow within the department of Electronics and Computer Science at the

University of Southampton The University of Southampton (abbreviated as ''Soton'' in post-nominal letters) is a public university, public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universit ...

where he specialises in the politics, philosophy and

epistemology Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowle ...

of technology. He is also a research fellow at the Web Science Trust and the conservative

think-tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

, the

Centre for Policy Studies The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) is a centre-right think tanks, think tank and advocacy group in the United Kingdom. Its goal is to promote coherent and practical policies based on its founding principles of: free markets, "small state," lo ...

. In ''Conservatism'' (2011), O'Hara developed the philosophy of 'small-c conservatism' that he outlined in ''After Blair'' (2005/7). He argued that conservatism must be a philosophy concerned with

social change Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations. Sustained at a larger scale, it may lead to social transformation or societal transformat ...

, and must be defensible using public reason. To that end, he defined conservatism as the knowledge principle plus the change principle. The knowledge principle, influenced by

scepticism Skepticism ( US) or scepticism ( UK) is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the pe ...

, states that: “because society and its mediating institutions are highly complex and dynamic with natures that are constantly evolving as they are co-constituted with the individuals who are their members, both data and theories about society are highly uncertain”. The change principle adds: “because the current state of society is typically undervalued, and because the effects of social innovations cannot be known fully in advance, then social change (a) must always risk destroying beneficial institutions and norms and (b) cannot be guaranteed to achieve the aims for which it was implemented. It therefore follows that societies should be risk-averse with respect to social change, and the burden of proof placed on the innovator, not his or her opponents. It also follows that change, when it does come, should ideally be (a) incremental, (b) reversible where possible and (c) rigorously evaluated before the next incremental step”. Influenced by

Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January ew Style, NS1729 – 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irish Politician, statesman, journalist, writer, literary critic, philosopher, and parliamentary orator who is regarded as the founder of the Social philosophy, soc ...

Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptised 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as the "father of economics"——— or ...

Michael Oakeshott Michael Joseph Oakeshott (11 December 1901 – 19 December 1990) was an English philosopher. He is known for his contributions to the philosophies of history, religion, aesthetics, education, and law.Fuller, T. (1991) 'The Work of Michael Oakesh ...

and

Friedrich Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek (8 May 1899 – 23 March 1992) was an Austrian-born British academic and philosopher. He is known for his contributions to political economy, political philosophy and intellectual history. Hayek shared the 1974 Nobe ...

, O'Hara distanced conservative philosophy from free-market liberalism and

neoconservatism Neoconservatism (colloquially neocon) is a political movement which began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist Democratic Party along with the growing New Left and ...

. He also developed ideas about risk and uncertainty about the environment to sketch a type of green conservatism. Other projects have included co-authoring the script of '' Tomb Raider 4'' and an article in the '' Journal of Popular Culture'' on the film '' Carry On Cabby''

Selected bibliography

*''Plato and the Internet'' (2002) *''Trust: From Socrates to Spin'' (2004) *''After Blair: Conservatism Beyond Thatcher'' (2005) *''The Referendum Roundabout'' (2006) *''inequality.com: Power, Poverty and the Digital Divide'' (2006, with David Stevens) *''After Blair: David Cameron and the Conservative Tradition'' (2007) *''The Enlightenment: A Beginner's Guide'' (2010) *''Conservatism'' (with foreword by

David Willetts David Linsay Willetts, Baron Willetts, (born 9 March 1956) is a British politician and life peer. From 1992 to 2015, he was the Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire. He served as Minister of State for Uni ...

, 2011)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohara, Kieron Living people 20th-century British philosophers 21st-century British philosophers Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the University of Oxford British video game writers Year of birth missing (living people)