The Philosophy of Michael Oakeshott

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Modern, Metaphysics, Political
Cover of the book The Philosophy of Michael Oakeshott by Terry Nardin, Penn State University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Terry Nardin ISBN: 9780271076874
Publisher: Penn State University Press Publication: December 5, 2001
Imprint: Penn State University Press Language: English
Author: Terry Nardin
ISBN: 9780271076874
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Publication: December 5, 2001
Imprint: Penn State University Press
Language: English

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 Indeed, the careful reading of his published and unpublished writings that Terry Nardin provides here shows that Oakeshott's concerns have been primarily philosophical, not political. These writings go far beyond politics to offer a critical philosophy of human activity and of the disciplines that interpret and explain it. Oakeshott argues that inquiry can be independent of practical concerns, even when its subject is the thought and action of human beings.

Although the book considers Oakeshott's views on morality, law, and government, it is primarily concerned with his ideas about the character of knowledge, especially knowledge of intelligent human conduct, and focuses attention on the concepts of modality, contingency, and civility that are central to Oakeshott's philosophy as a whole. Nardin seeks to show how Oakeshott's critique of scientism and other forms of foundationalism supports a powerful version of the argument that history is the proper mode for understanding human choice and action.

The book thus provides the fullest discussion available of Oakeshott's antifoundationalist view of epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of history and the human sciences. It examines his arguments concerning the criteria of truth, the forms of knowledge, the relationship between theory and practice, the place of interpretation in the social sciences, the nature and importance of historical explanation, and the definition of philosophy itself. And it is the first study to look at Oakeshott's relationship to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and other movements in twentieth-century Continental philosophy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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 provides here shows that Oakeshott's concerns have been primarily philosophical, not political. These writings go far beyond politics to offer a critical philosophy of human activity and of the disciplines that interpret and explain it. Oakeshott argues that inquiry can be independent of practical concerns, even when its subject is the thought and action of human beings.

Although the book considers Oakeshott's views on morality, law, and government, it is primarily concerned with his ideas about the character of knowledge, especially knowledge of intelligent human conduct, and focuses attention on the concepts of modality, contingency, and civility that are central to Oakeshott's philosophy as a whole. Nardin seeks to show how Oakeshott's critique of scientism and other forms of foundationalism supports a powerful version of the argument that history is the proper mode for understanding human choice and action.

The book thus provides the fullest discussion available of Oakeshott's antifoundationalist view of epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of history and the human sciences. It examines his arguments concerning the criteria of truth, the forms of knowledge, the relationship between theory and practice, the place of interpretation in the social sciences, the nature and importance of historical explanation, and the definition of philosophy itself. And it is the first study to look at Oakeshott's relationship to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and other movements in twentieth-century Continental philosophy.

More books from Penn State University Press

Cover of the book Masquerade and Gender by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Walt Whitman's Language Experiment by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book From Windfall to Curse? by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Religion Around Shakespeare by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Sign of Pathology by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Memories of Lincoln and the Splintering of American Political Thought by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Transcending Textuality by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Democracy Without Decency by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Finding Kluskap by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Reorganizing Popular Politics by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Ireland and the Problem of Information by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book The Book of Peace by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Territories of History by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Empowerment and Interconnectivity by Terry Nardin
Cover of the book Consensus and Debate in Salazar's Portugal by Terry Nardin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy