This article argues that political theorist Michael Oakeshott undoubtedly affected the British study of politics. It first presents a brief overview of Oakeshott's life and career, followed ...
More
This article argues that political theorist Michael Oakeshott undoubtedly affected the British study of politics. It first presents a brief overview of Oakeshott's life and career, followed by an outline of the three main components of his philosophy of history and politics. It then turns from the abstraction and scepticism of his peculiar variant of philosophical idealism to his inaugural lecture at LSE on ‘Political Education’. The article also considers the areas of the study of politics in which the Oakeshottian impact has been the greatest. Moreover, the political ideas and ideology, the study of government and public administration, the study of nationalism, and more controversially his impact on new fields such as the political theory of multiculturalism are explored. The article finally gives an assessment of the Oakeshottian legacy.
Less
