Oakeshott’s Ideological Politics1

Abstract

This essay asks whether Oakeshott should be considered as a liberal or as a conservative thinker. It examines the nature of ideology and Oakeshott’s insistence that his own positions and writing were not ideological. The essay demonstrates that there are considerable ideological elements in some of Oakeshott’s writings, particularly in his essays on the post-war Labour Government as well as some of his later writings including Rationalism in Politics and On Human Conduct. The essay concludes that while Oakeshott may be considered a liberal in many of his attitudes, in politics his positions are clearly Conservative. His standing as a Conservative thinker is not misplaced.