[Revised entry by Terry Nardin on February 1, 2024.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography]
Michael Oakeshott (1901 – 1990) is often called a conservative thinker. But this label identifies only one aspect of his thought and invites misunderstanding because it is ambiguous. His ideas spring from a lifetime of reading in the literature of European thought, sharpened by philosophical reflection on its arguments and presuppositions. Oakeshott worked on the premise that philosophical questions are interconnected and that answering them requires wide-ranging critical investigation. A recurrent theme in his writings…

Originally appeared on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Read More