Political Theory and Political Education

Abstract

The subject of this paper is very old and could readily be stated in terms of Plato’s Republic; the implication of the title, ‘Political Theory and Political Education’, is that I want to state it in terms of an inaugural lecture which was given by Professor Michael Oakeshott in March 1951, when he took over the famous Chair of Political Science at the London School of Economics, held previously only by Graham Wallas and by Harold Laski, who had died in the spring of 1950. Oakeshott’s lecture is called ‘Political Education’: it is not important for the present purpose that you should have read it, because its theme is simple arid is stated in rather cloudy and beautiful prose, from which it will be a pleasure to quote.

From Universities Quarterly, IX, no. 4 (Aug 1955). This paper is based on a lecture given to a small conference of former students of residential colleges for adult education, which was held at Holly Royde in January 1955. Since it was written I have found the same line of argument much more professionally stated in an article by Mr. J.W.N. Watkins: ‘Political Tradition and Political Theory’, Philosophical Quarterly, Oct 1952: but he is less concerned than I am with the problem of teaching, so I have let this stand untouched.