Michael Oakeshott (1901 - 1990): an Intellectual Biography

The object is to produce a 'life and works' that shall be both scholarly and accessible, humanly interesting, illustrate the relations between Oakeshott's life, works (published and unpublished) and times, be a resource for future researchers, and bring to light Oakeshott's 70-year-long accumulation of miscellaneous notes and reflections and present them as a significant contribution to modern thought. Main research questions are: Oakeshott's intellectual pedigree; the relations between his thought and his life (was his thought merely a rationalization of his conduct, or did he live out his ideas?); how far his thought was conditioned by external factors (e.g. class, upbringing, two World Wars, the Cold War); how his thought relates to others with whom he is bracketed (Bedin, Polanyi, his LSE colleagues Popper and Hayek); whether his contention that thought is ultimately the residue of practice compromises (i.e. relativizes) its own claim to validity.

Oakeshott has become seriously big business, with a stream of books about his thought appearing in the last few years. A conference at Jena University last December revealed a thriving, very high-powered Oakeshott industry in the former Eastern bloc, with participants from places as far afield as Hungary and Bulgaria (there has always been interest from the USA). More than ever there is a need, and a demand, for a full-length, complementary biography. Furthermore, Oakeshott's life possesses an independent, intrinsic interest though a very private person, he knew many public figures, and his private life was notably colourful. 1 am still better qualified than anyone else to write his life, since I undertook it at Oakeshott's family's request (they liked my 1990 book on him), and have been given sole access to a large private archive. I am also in possession of all Oakeshott's father's papers (Oakeshott senior was a founder of the Fabien Society and also of LSE).
The work follows the procedures of normal narrative history: the amassing of documentary and oral evidence, the subjection of it to critical scrutiny, and the explanation, elimination or resolution of contradictions. Most of the documents -correspondence, largely - are in the massive Oakeshott archive at LSE; I have so far digitally photographed, transferred to CD, and had printed and bound about 12,500 pages, and have about 1,500 left to process. (I have omitted material subsequently published.) I have had to do this because I could not afford to live in London long enough to work directly from the archive; but a useful! Side-effect is that these copies will eventually be made available to other researchers.
I have conducted many interviews with Oakeshott's family, friends and colleagues, and despite huge setbacks (see Timetable below) have managed to catch many of the oldest before their recent deaths. I have also uncovered a great deal of new material (see Changes below).
The layout is straightforwardly chronological, with the works being treated as, and interweaved with, regular life-events. Key headings are: early life and upbringing; 'progressive' schooling; Cambridge; theological interests; Germany and the *Wandervoger; early Idealist philosophy; first and second marriages; war service in 'Phantom'; introduction to high society (Astor's); Oxford; affairs with Iris Murdoch, Jenifer Hart and others; move to Laski's Chair at LSE (1951-69); *Rationalism in Politics* (1962); *0n Human Conduct* (1975); his subsequent cultivation by post-modernists like Richard Rorty. To be concluded by a general summary of his character and thought, and their paradoxical nature: bohemianism vs. patriotism; traditionalism vs. 'free love'; admiration for the military virtues vs. deeply anti-war sentiments; anti-materialism vs. defence of capitalism; belief in authority vs. near-anarchist leanings; piety vs. scepticism.