J.A. Hobson as a Political Theorist

Michael Freeden

Chapter 2 in J. A. Hobson after Fifty Years, 1994, pp 19-33 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract J.A. Hobson was one of the half-dozen most influential political thinkers in turn-of-the-century Britain, a fact that even the partial revival of his fortunes has infrequently brought to light. The main reason for this oversight has two complementary facets: Hobson’s contribution lay chiefly in his formulation of a liberal version of British welfare thought, an ideological genre that until recently was accorded insufficient recognition; and conversely recourse to conventional modes of political theorising, utilising existing traditions, or referring to the constructs of leading individuals, was not paramount in his work. It is symptomatic that in the various reading-lists that Hobson appended to his more political writings, he cites mainly the works of his progressive contemporaries, for he was a leading member of a group that refashioned both the substance and the methods of argument employed in applying political analysis to contemporary affairs. Hobhouse, Laski, Delisle Burns, Wallas and Brailsford are more likely than Locke, Mill or Green to appear as authorities to which Hobson deferred, and they would often return the compliment.

Keywords: Human Nature; Political Theorist; Political Thought; Political Concept; Political Idea (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1994
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DOI: 10.1007/978-1-349-23213-0_2

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