Oakeshott Flashcards
strand
traditional
oakeshotts conservatism was anchored in the principle of pragmatism , he argued that political action should be guided by
practical knowledge and experience rather than ideological dogmatism or theoretical abstraction
this stance was a deliberate counter to the utopian visions of perfect societies promoted both
communism and fascism in the 20th century
- Oakeshott sae this as impractical and deeply dangerous due to their tendency to justify radical and disruptive changes in pursuit of their ideals
in ‘ on being conservative ‘ he wrote
” to be conservative then is to prefer the familiar to the unknown to prefer the tried to the untried fact to mystery the actual to the possible the limited to the unbounded the near to the distant the sufficient to the superabundant the convent to the perfect present laughter to utopian bliss “
Oakeshott also used the analogy of a boat to illustrate this principle .
he described the political activity as akin to navigating a vessel on sea emphasising that
governance , like sailing requires careful and constant adjustments and keeping the ship afloat rather than trying to take off towards an unknown decision
oakeshotts pragmatism was influenced by a recognition that human beings are inherently limited in their knowledge and capacity to design perfect systems , he supported the view that
human imperfection was a constant and that politicians therefore needed to accommodate it rather than they alter it
in ‘ on being conservative ‘ Oakeshott wrote
” the office of government is not to impose other beliefs and activities upon its subjects but to secure them in the enjoyment of what they have chosen “
oakeshott wasn’t as pessimistic about human nature as Hobbes and believed that these imperfections can mitigated through the influence of
tradition and proper guidance
Oakeshott beleieved that while humans are indeed perfect their nature can be shaped positively within the right
social and moral framework
he described human behaviour as
” noisy foolish and flawed “
this description of human behaviour suggested that humans are fallible and often intellectually and psychologically imperfect their actions and nature are not
inherently morally evil , malevolent or destructive
he suggested that human nature while flawed has the potential for goodness and decency provided it is
guided and shaped by the stabilising and moral influences of tradition and community
Oakeshott were that human nature is fallible but can be
” benign and beneveloant “ when driven by the right customs and institutions
