Commentary

[in chronological order]

Rationalism and the Rule of Law: Michael Oakeshott and the American Constitutional Order

– Corey, Elizabeth. "Rationalism and the Rule of Law: Michael Oakeshott and the American Constitutional Order." American Political Thought 4, no. 4 (2015): 632-52.
Abstract: Many commentators have mentioned the fact that Michael Oakeshott describes the American founding as a “Rationalist” project. But there has been little careful investigation into the actual character of his criticisms. This essay first… More

Oakeshott’s Concept of Ideology

– David Corey. “Oakeshott's Concept of Ideology,” Journal of Political Ideologies 19, no. 3 (2014): 261-282.  
Excerpt: Michael Oakeshott’s critique of ‘political rationalism’ is often regarded as a unique contribution to the study of 20th-century ‘ideologies.’ But, in fact, Oakeshott understood rationalism and ideology as distinct phenomena. This… More

Oakeshott on Rome and America

– Gene Callahan. Oakeshott on Rome and America. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 2013.
Excerpt: The political systems of the Roman Republic were based almost entirely on tradition, “the way of the ancestors”, rather than on a written constitution. While the founders of the American Republic looked to ancient Rome as a primary model for… More

The Religious Sensibility of Michael Oakeshott

– Corey, Elizabeth. "The Religious Sensibility of Michael Oakeshott." A Companion to Michael Oakeshott. Edited by Paul Franco and Leslie March, Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012, pp. 134–150.
Excerpt: I have often thought that one of the best introductions to the philosophy of Michael Oakeshott is a children’s book by Arnold Lobel. Grasshopper on the Road describes the journey of a remarkably even-tempered grasshopper who meets various other… More

Oakeshott’s Ideal of the Liberal State

– Elizabeth Corey, "Oakeshott's Ideal of the Liberal State," Online Library of Law and Liberty, September: 2012.
It’s hard to imagine an event that more perfectly illustrates Michael Oakeshott’s notion of telocracy than the Supreme Court decision, in a 5-4 vote, that President Obama’s signature piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act, was constitutional. The… More

The Cambridge Companion to Oakeshott edited by Efraim Podoksik

– Podoksik, Efraim, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Oakeshott. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2012
In this volume a broad group of scholars offers a comprehensive overview of Oakeshott’s philosophy, including his moral and political philosophy, his philosophy of history, science and aesthetics, and his views on the role of education. They analyse… More

Michael Oakeshott on the Rule of Law by Timothy Fuller

– Timothy Fuller, "Michael Oakeshott on the Rule of Law and the Liberal Order," Journal of Law and Liberty, September: 2012.
A defining theme of Michael Oakeshott’s thought is that, through the past five centuries, European civilization can count among its greatest achievements the invention of “civil association” and the clarification of the “rule of law.” These are… More

A Companion to Michael Oakeshott

– Franco, Paul and Leslie Marsh, eds.  A Companion to Michael Oakeshott. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2012.
Excerpt: Michael Oakeshott has long been recognized as one of the most important political philosophers of the twentieth century, but until now no single volume has been able to examine all the facets of his wide-ranging philosophy with sufficient depth,… More

Education and the Voice of Michael Oakeshott

– Kevin Williams. Education and the Voice of Michael Oakeshott. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 2007.
Excerpt: The work of Michael Oakeshott has retained a striking currency in philosophical discourse about education. This is hardly surprising in view of his influence on Paul Hirst and Richard Peters, two philosophers whose work had an enormous impact on… More

Michael Oakeshott, the Ancient Greeks, and the Philosophical Study of Politics

– Eric Kos. Michael Oakeshott, the Ancient Greeks, and the Philosophical Study of Politics. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 2007.
Excerpt: This book addresses a question fundamental for Oakeshott throughout his life, which is what we are doing when we read and discuss some memorable work in the history of political thought. The approach the book takes to Oakeshott’s response to this… More

Intimations Pursued: The Voice of Practice in the Conversation of Michael Oakeshott

– Andrew Sullivan. Intimations Pursued: The Voice of Practice in the Conversation of Michael Oakeshott. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 2007.
In this book Andrew Sullivan examines Oakeshott’s transition from his original emphasis on philosophy as providing what was ultimately satisfactory in experience to his later emphasis on practical life. This satisfaction is best achieved by a fusion of the… More

Michael Oakeshott on Religion, Aesthetics, and Politics

– Corey, Elizabeth Campbell. Michael Oakeshott on Religion, Aesthetics and Politics. Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2006.
Elizabeth Campbell Corey makes the case that Oakeshott’s moral and political philosophies are more informed by religious and aesthetic considerations than has previously been supposed. Hers is the first book-length study of this premise, arguing that… More

The Politics and Philosophy of Michael Oakeshott

– Stuart Isaacs. The Politics and Philosophy of Michael Oakeshott. London: Routledge, 2006.
The Politics and Philosophy of Michael Oakeshott reveals how his work relates to contemporary political philosophy (for example, Arendt, Rorty, Rawls); and moreover, how it links to broader debates within philosophy and the social sciences and, building upon… More

Religious and Poetic Experience in the Thought of Michael Oakeshott

– Glenn Worthington. Religious and Poetic Experience in the Thought of Michael Oakeshott. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 2005.
Excerpt: Much of the scholarly attention attracted by Michael Oakeshott’s writings has focused upon his philosophical characterization of the relations that constitute moral association in the modern world. A less noticed, but equally significant,… More

The Intellectual Legacy of Michael Oakeshott

– Timothy Fuller. The Intellectual Legacy of Michael Oakeshott. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 2005.
This volume brings together a diverse range of perspectives reflecting the international appeal and multi-disciplinary interest that Oakeshott now attracts. The essays offer a variety of approaches to Oakeshott’s thought — testament to the abiding depth,… More

The Limits of Political Theory: Oakeshott’s Philosophy of Civil Association

– Kenneth McIntyre. The Limits of Political Theory: Oakeshott's Philosophy of Civic Association. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 2004.
Excerpt: This book examines Oakeshott’s political philosophy within the context of his more general conception of philosophical understanding. The book stresses the underlying continuity of his major writings on the subject and takes seriously the… More

Michael Oakeshott: An Introduction

– Paul Franco. Michael Oakeshott: An Introduction. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004.
In this book Paul Franco provides an authoritative introduction to the life and thought of Michael Oakeshott, one of the most important philosophical voices of the twentieth century. After sketching a brief biography of Oakeshott, Franco then examines his… More

The Skeptical Idealist: Michael Oakeshott as Critic of the Enlightenment

– Roy Tseng. The Skeptical Idealist: Michael Oakeshott as Critic of the Enlightenment. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 2003.
Excerpt: This is the first book-length study to provide a structured interpretation of the significance of Michael Oakeshott’s critique of the Enlightenment. By seeing the thinker as a ‘skeptical idealist’ posing a serious challenge to the… More

Michael Oakeshott on Hobbes: A Study in the Renewal of Philosophical Ideas

– Ian Tregenza. Michael Oakeshott on Hobbes: A Study in the Renewal of Philosophical Ideas. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 2003.
Excerpt: Michael Oakeshott is widely recognized to be one of the most original political philosophers of the twentieth century. He also developed a very influential interpretation of the ideas of the great seventeenth century philosopher Thomas Hobbes. While… More

Oakeshott on History

– Luke O'Sullivan. Oakeshott on History. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 2003.
Excerpt: This book challenges the common view that Michael Oakeshott was mainly important as a political philosopher by offering the first comprehensive study of his ideas on history. It argues that Oakeshott’s writings on the philosophy of history mark him… More

In Defense of Modernity: Vision and Philosophy in Michael Oakeshott

– Efraim Podoksik. In Defense of Modernity: Vision and Philosophy in Michael Oakeshott. Exeter: Imprint Academic, 2003.
Excerpt: Although Oakeshott’s philosophy has received considerable attention, the vision which underlies it has been almost completely ignored. This vision, which is rooted in the intellectual debates of his epoch, cements his ideas into a coherent whole… More

The Voice of Poetry in the Thought of Michael Oakeshott

– Efraim Podoksik. “The Voice of Poetry in the Thought of Michael Oakeshott,” Journal of the History of Ideas 63, no. 4 (2002): 717-733.
Excerpt: The British philosopher Michael Oakeshott (1901-1990) is mostly known as a political thinker of conservative persuasion, and his general philosophy is usually analyzed only in connection with the social and political aspects of his thought, with most… More

Michael Oakeshott, Philosopher: A Commemoration of the Centenary of Oakeshott’s Birth

– Leslie Marsh. Michael Oakeshott, Philosopher: A Commemoration of the Centenary of Oakeshott's Birth. London: Michael Oakeshott Association, 2001.
Excerpt: Oakeshott occupies an unusual place within the 20th century philosophy: his reputation made as a political philosopher is as misunderstood within political circles, as his philosophy is unknown within philosophical circles at large. The former arises… More

The Philosophy of Michael Oakeshott

– Terry Nardin. The Philosophy of Michael Oakeshott. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2001.
Excerpt: This is the first comprehensive study of Michael Oakeshott as a philosopher rather than a political theorist, which is how most commentators have regarded him. Indeed, the careful reading of his published and unpublished writings that Terry Nardin… More

The Skeptic’s Oakeshott

– Steven Anthony Gerencser. The Skeptic's Oakeshott. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2000.
Excerpt: The Skeptic’s Oakeshott poses the thesis that Michael Oakeshott’s political philosophy is best understood from the vantage point of his skepticism and his intellectual affinity to Hobbes. Margaret Thatcher based much of her political philosophy… More

Michael Oakeshott on European Political History

– Luke O'Sullivan. “Michael Oakeshott on European Political History,” History of Political Thought 21, no. 1 (1975): 132-151.
Excerpt: This article examines Michael Oakeshott’s views on European political history, based on the essays, reviews, lectures and unpublished works which he produced through out his intellectual career. These pieces are less familiar than his writings on… More

Oakeshott and His Contemporaries

– W.J. Coats. Oakeshott and His Contemporaries. Selinsgrove: Susquehanna University Press, 2000.
Excerpt: Oakeshott and His Contemporaries is an exploration of the ideas of one of the most important twentieth-century, English, political philosophers vis-a-vis related ideas in the thought of seven prominent European thinkers. The intent is to show the… More

The Work of Michael Oakeshott

– Timothy Fuller. “In Memoriam: Michael Oakeshott, 1901-1990: The Work of Michael Oakeshott,” Political Theory 19, no. 3 (1991): 326-333.
Excerpt: Oakeshott surveyed the world without feeling compelled to roam it. Seeking to understand himself, he welcomed travelers whose conversation would complement his own and check his observations. His preferred genre was the essay which in his case, as… More

The Political Philosophy of Michael Oakeshott by Paul Franco

– Paul Franco. The Political Philosophy of Michael Oakeshott. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990.
Excerpt: This is the first full-length study of the thought of Michael Oakeshott (1901-1990), arguably the most important British political philosopher of the twentieth century. Paul Franco places Oakeshott’s political philosophy in the context of his… More

Oakeshott’s Hobbesian Myth: Pride, Character and the Limits of Reason

– B.P. Frohnen. “Oakeshott's Hobbesian Myth: Pride, Character and the Limits of Reasons,” The Western Political Quarterly 43, (1990): 789-809.
Excerpt: Taking philosophical skepticism to its limit, Michael Oakeshott questions both the coherence of noncontextual thought and the primary role of reason itself in making sense of the world around us. Unrecognized in the literature on Oakeshott is the… More

Oakeshott

– Robert Grant. Oakeshott. London: The Claridge Press, 1990.
No excerpt available.

Michael Oakeshott as Liberal Theorist

– W.J. Coats. “ Michael Oakeshott as Liberal Theorist,” Canadian Journal of Political Science 18, no. 4 (1985): 773-787.
Excerpt: This article cautions against facilely casting Oakeshott’s thought in the mold of either Kantian liberalism for its account of civil association as purely formal association to which rational individuals could consent, or Burkean liberalism for… More

The Creation of the Past: British Idealism and Michael Oakeshott’s Philosophy of History

– David Boucher. “The Creation of the Past: British Idealism and Michael Oakeshott's Philosophy of History,” History and Theory 23, no. 2 (1975): 193-214.
Excerpt: Michael Oakeshott shared the general concerns of British idealists and leaned heavily upon their conclusions. As with any mode of understanding, history creates its own object of inquiry. History is an activity built upon postulates and capable of… More

Individuality, Civility and Theory: The Philosophical Imagination of Michael Oakeshott

– J.L. Auspitz. “Individuality, Civility and Theory: The Philosophical Imagination of Michael Oakeshott,” Political Theory, no. 4 (1976): 261-294.      
Excerpt: Even before the publication last year of his extraordinary new book there was sufficient evidence to argue that Michael Oakeshott was the most genuinely philosophical mind writing on political themes and one of the few living masters of the learned… More

The Conservative Imagination: Michael Oakeshott by Gertrude Himmelfarb

– Gertrude Himmelfarb. “The Conservative Imagination: Michael Oakeshott,” American Scholar 44, no. 3 (1975): 405-420.
Excerpt: “Abjuring both political science and political philosophy as these are normally understood, Oakeshott has nevertheless acquired a distinguished body of disciples, and not only in the academy but among journalists, writers, and men of affairs.… More

Politics and Experience: Essays Presented to Professor Michael Oakeshott on the Occasion of His Retirement

– Preston King and B.C. Parekh. Politics and Experience: Essays Presented to Professor Michael Oakeshott on the Occasion of his Retirement. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1968.
This volume was compiled in 1968 to honour the retirement of the eminent political philosopher Professor Michael Oakeshott. Professor Oakeshott, widely regarded as one of the most important conservative intellectuals of the twentieth century, understood the… More