Why did Edmund Burke distrust political systems based on abstract theories?

Edmund Burke distrusted political systems based on abstract theories because he believed they ignored the complexity of human society and the necessity of tradition. He argued that states are not machines to be rebuilt according to speculative schemes, but rather complex, organic entities that embody the accumulated wisdom of past, present, and future generations.12

His primary objections included:

• Devaluation of Tradition: He believed that rationalist attempts to reconstruct society from scratch destroyed time-tested institutions and material resources without providing any assurance of improvement.12
• Limitations of Human Reason: Burke maintained that individual human reason is feeble and prone to error. He advocated relying on the "latent wisdom" of prejudice and established customs, which he viewed as socially necessary, rather than relying on private, abstract reasoning.2
• Risk of Despotism: He warned that because modern states are so intricate, imposing metaphysical doctrines—such as radical equality or popular sovereignty—inevitably leads to the destruction of the existing order and the rise of despotism.12

Ultimately, Burke believed that political change should be evolutionary, preserving the good of the past while adapting to new circumstances.12