Rationalism in Politics, first published in 1962, has established the late Michael Oakeshott as the leading conservative political theorist in modern Britain. This expanded collection of essays astutely points out the limits of "reason" in rationalist politics. Oakeshott criticizes ideological schemes to reform society according to supposedly "scientific" or rationalistic principles that ignore the wealth and variety of human experience. "Rationalism in politics," says Oakeshott, "involves a misconception with regard to the nature of human knowledge." History has shown that it produces unexpected, often disastrous results. "Having cut himself off from the traditional knowledge of his society, and denied the value of any education more extensive than a training in a technique of analysis," the Rationalist succeeds only in undermining the institutions that hold civilized society together. In this regard, rationalism in politics is "a corruption of the mind."

迈克尔・欧克肖特（1901-1990）1901年12月11日出生在英国肯特郡的切尔斯费尔德。1920-1923年在剑桥大学学习，并参加了剑桥大学的荣誉学位考试。1923-1926年他拿了英国大学毕业生奖学金去德国图宾根大学和马堡大学学习。

他是20世纪英国最重的政治哲学家和世界最重要的政治哲学家之一，也是有史以来英国最重要的政治哲学家之一。

译者张汝伦简介：1953年生，1987年毕业于复旦大学哲学系，获哲学学士学位，现在复旦大学哲学系任教。