John Anderson's Political Thought Revisited

The political thought of Australia's most political philosopher has yet to receive the broad attention it deserves. John Anderson is known either as the controversial freethinking corrupter of Sydney's youth or as the conservative anti-communist and defender of academic privilege. Less understood is Anderson as the consistent defender of ways of life and traditions as the bearers of critical enquiry and practice. Anderson's political philosophy needs to be understood in the context of a broader political tradition which maintained the moral value of productive activities. His enduring commitment to political and historical themes in the work of the French revolutionary socialist Georges Sorel is the key to understanding this aspect of Anderson's thought. Sorel's influence is widely acknowledged but its significance contested among Anderson's students. Yet a proper appreciation of Sorel's influence provides a coherent and rewarding perspective on Anderson's political thought.