A 'conversation' concerning political understanding: Bacon contra Augustine or the 'politics of faith' contra the 'politics of scepticism'

Abstract

There are many different interpretations and understandings as to the role and purpose of politics and the activity of governing within a society and among humanity in general. The noted British philosopher, Michael Oakeshott, argues that these various understandings all represent a conversation between two different styles of politics, namely, the 'politics of faith' which places an absolute trust in human reason and sees government as the agent that will lead society on a road to perfection; and the 'politics of scepticism' which detaches politics and the activity of governing from the quest for human perfection. This article analyses these two styles of politics as reflected in the work of some of its earliest and most influential proponents, namely Francis Bacon and St Augustine. This analysis seeks to identify the core elements of the 'conversation' between these opposing styles of politics in order to gain a better insight into the contested nature of our contemporary understanding of the political.