Constructivism and Relativism in Michael Oakeshott
http://www.academia.edu/297952/Constructivism_and_Relativism_in_Michael_Oakeshott

This paper highlights a troubling tension within the philosophy of Michael Oakeshott.

The relativistic stance that informs his radical constructivism giveslicense to socio-political conclusions
we know Oakeshott could not possibly accept.

Politically, Oakeshott cannot accept constructionist social ontologies that are forged in the clamor for
rights, an abstract and axiomatic foundationalistconception of rights, which demands a corresponding
morality not deduced frommorally relevant considerations.

Educationally, Oakeshott laments that the notion of disinterested liberal learning is rendered redundant
given the incessant impulse for RELEVANCE, now guaranteed with sociology as its master.

Scientifically, Oakeshott plays both sides and this is most problematic. On the one hand he commends
science for its achievement against the sociology of knowledge view that science is at best an ideology,
at worst, a tool of oppression. On the other hand, the constructivist/relativist Oakeshott berates science
for beingdevoid of any truth-value. Taken thus, bereft of any veritistic notions, Oakeshott isin no position
to distinguish good science from pseudo-science. Oakeshott therefore plays into the hands of the scientism
that has been the hallmark of his Rationalist and contravenes his own primary philosophical dictum — the
error of irrelevance. For Oakeshott these three dimensions have conspired to create a distinctly
liberal intellectual climate, a regime of “ready-made” or approved ideas,“oppressive uniformities of thought
or attitude or conduct.”