Conservative Thinkers - Michael Oakeshott

Question 1

Who was Michael Oakeshott?

Answer 1

• Michael Oakeshott (1901-1990) was a British political philosopher who wrote ‘Rationalism in Politics’ (1962) and ‘On Human Conduct’ (1975)
• many saw him as a one nation conservative

Question 2

What is oakeshott’s view on tradition?

Answer 2

• Oakeshott wrote that to be conservative is to “prefer the familiar to the unknown, to prefer the tried to the untried” and to prefer “the actual to possible”
• conservative tradition is to prefer the familiar to the unknown and to trust customs and historical structures rather than to try and make radical change

Question 3

What is oakeshott’s view on human imperfection?

Answer 3

• Oakeshott believed that humans are intellectually imperfect- political ideas are so broad and complex that we as humans are unable to grasp them

Question 4

What is oakeshott’s view on pragmatism?

Answer 4

• Oakeshott believed that conservatism should be pragmatic
• instead of being highly ideological, conservatives should make practical decisions
• Oakeshott believed that the state should be maintained, but not overhauled or changed in a revolutionary way - as this would not be in the Conservative tradition
• he believed that increased state intervention was a bad thing, and that changing society through social engineering was not in the Conservative spirit