An English political philosopher, Oakeshott taught at Cambridge and the London School of Economics. He criticized rationalism in politics, that is, the belief that society can be redesigned by abstract plans. For him, practical knowledge comes from tradition and experience, and politics should be a conversation, not a crusade.
Core ideas
Practical knowledge, learned through living together and tradition, does not fit into abstract rules
Projects to reform society by a rational plan tend to destroy what works
The State should guarantee common rules of coexistence, not impose a purpose on everyone
The tradition: Skeptical conservatism
Skeptical conservatism defends traditions not out of belief in eternal truths, but out of distrust of grand rational plans. Oakeshott is its most refined theorist of the twentieth century.
