The Democratic Theory of Michael Oakeshott: Discourse, Contingency and 'The Politics of Conversation' (Brtitish Idealist Studies) - Hardcover

Minch, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1845401522 ISBN 13: 9781845401528

Publisher: Imprint Academic, 2009

Synopsis

This book offers a description, explanation, and evaluation of Michael Oakeshott's democratic theory. He was not a democratic theorist as such, but as a twentieth-century English political theorist for whom liberal theory held deep importance, his thought often engaged democratic theory implicitly, and many times did so explicitly. The author's project penetrates two renewals. The first is the revitalization of interest in Oakeshott, and the second is the renewal of democratic theory which began in the 1980s. In respect to this latter renewal, the book engages the deliberative turn in democratic theory. These revivals create the context for this new look at Oakeshott. To state the matter as a problem, one might say that in light of new and fecund democratic theory, it is a problem for political theory if one of the most important political theorists of the twentieth century is left out of the discourse insofar as he has something relevant to say about deliberative democracy. It is of no small importance that almost all the work in democratic theory being done these days is of the deliberative/discursive kind, or responses to it. That is, deliberative theory is driving the agenda of democratic theory. The author argues that Oakeshott does indeed have something relevant to say which is applicable to this democratic theory.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Minch earned his Ph.D from Drew and is completing a second Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from University of Utah. Minch and his co-author, Christine Weigel, have both taught extensively at the undergraduate level and developed this book from their experiences teaching large ethics courses.

Review

"Minch..attempts to bridge the gap between Oakeshott's political philosophy and the current debate in political theory. Minch conducts a thorough discussion of Oakeshott's text and of a vast mount of secondary lterature treating the subject matter of 'democracy'. ...The importance of the effort, magisterially undertaken by Minch, of finding the connection between Oakeshott's position and contemporary philosophical debate and concerns about deliberative democracy."

(Davide Orsi Collingwood and British Idealism Studies)

Edition details

• Publisher: Imprint Academic
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1845401522
• ISBN 13: 9781845401528
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 243