Rationalism in Politics and other essays

Rationalism in Politics, first published in 1962, has established the late Michael Oakeshott as the leading conservative political theorist in modern Britain. This expanded collection of essays astutely points out the limits of 'reason' in rationalist politics. Oakeshott criticizes ideological schemes to reform society according to supposedly 'scientific' or rationalistic princ...

Rationalism in Politics, first published in 1962, has established the late Michael Oakeshott as the leading conservative political theorist in modern Britain. This expanded collection of essays astutely points out the limits of 'reason' in rationalist politics. Oakeshott criticizes ideological schemes to reform society according to supposedly 'scientific' or rationalistic principles that ignore the wealth and variety of human experience. "Rationalism in politics," says Oakeshott, "involves a misconception with regard to the nature of human knowledge." History has shown that it produces unexpected, often disastrous results. "Having cut himself off from the traditional knowledge of his society, and denied the value of any education more extensive than a training in a technique of analysis," the Rationalist succeeds only in undermining the institutions that hold civilized society together. In this regard, rationalism in politics is "a corruption of the mind."

迈克尔·欧克肖特(1901 —1990)属20世纪最重要的政治哲学家之列，是“保守倾向”的杰出典范。他最重要的贡献有他对托马斯·霍布斯思想的解释，对近代理性主义的批判，论 “法治”的权威论文，公民联合和政治权威的理论，历史哲学和教育哲学。他在剑桥大学读近代史，然后，从1926年一直到1948年，在那里任教。短时期任职于牛津大学之后，他于1951年被任命为伦敦经济学院政府系的政治科学教授，在这个位置一直干到1968年退休。

他最重要的著作是《经验及其模式》(1933)，《政治中的理性主义及其他论文》(1962)和《论人类行为》(1975)。