Rationalism in Politics, by Michael Oakeshott

"Rationalism in Politics" first appeared in 1962. It was a distillation of the thinking of Michael Oakeshott on the effects of general philosophies applied to political problems in the particular.

Oakeshott believed that philosophies or rational ideas could not be simply imposed on just any society because the particulars of that society could easily change the outcome. For example, the idea of "natural rights" and the equality of man had salutary effects in the United States and resulted in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. While in France they led to a bloodbath and ultimately in the imposition of the Napoleonic Empire.

This did not mean that France was incapable of democratic/republican government, only that it had to be tailored to the traditions that were part and parcel - France. Edmund Burke clearly saw this when he supported the American Revolution but vehemently opposed the Revolution in France. Rationalism, for Oakeshott then was applying theoretical ideas to solve practical problems. And here is where the problem arose. Solutions sprouted in academe generally had some minor drawbacks; they were not based on practical experience and local factors were not taken into account.

"Rationalism in Politics" proposes that rationalism itself is based on a mistaken theory about the nature of knowledge and its relation to the world. Government experts and academics have come to believe that all that is needed to solve problems is a likely theory and a hammer. But, of course, this leaves out practical application and unintended consequences. In the end, liberal ideas fail because they are conceived in an ivory tower far away from the scene of the problem and untested by time and practice.