This thesis is concerned with the life and career of Sir Philip Baxter (1905-1989), particularly during the period following his arrival in Australia from England in 1950. But the thesis is not a conventional biographical study in terms of either the sources used or its guiding themes. Instead, my subject's values and attitudes are portrayed as reflections of a 'conservative style of thought', a concept developed by Karl Mannheim. This approach, centred on close readings of key texts, permits a deeper understanding of a figure who polarised opinion over a long career as Chairman of the Australian Atomic Energy Commission, and as Vice-Chancellor of the University of NSW. My picture of Baxter draws significantly on the Archives of the University of NSW, which provided the bulk of my primary sources, such as correspondence files, typescripts of articles and talks, newspaper clippings, official documents and personal memorabilia. This material is a substantial but curiously unrevealing source for Baxter's life. Although I rely largely on written material, on several important occasions I refer to discussions I had with Baxter's children, colleagues and students. Insights thereby gained into Baxter's childhood reading, and the circumstances of the composition of his play, The Day the Sun Rose in the West, profoundly influenced my portrayal of Baxter. Throughout, I argue for an appreciation of the significance of such material, even though in a more conventional study of an engineer/administrator it would be thought of only marginal interest. In Baxter's case, certainly, careful interpretation of such material enables the construction of a compelling portrait of the man despite the unrevealing primary records and the still often fervently partisan personal recollections of those who knew him. My major conclusion is that previous characterisations of Baxter as a cold war warrior of the post-war period in Australia have failed to appreciate the complexity and coherence of his attitudes and philosophy. Secondly, I demonstrate that the notion of a 'conservative style of thought' captures that complexity as evidenced in the many facets of Baxter's career and interests.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/187734 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Gissing, Philip, School of Science & Technology Studies, UNSW |
| Publisher | Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Science and Technology Studies |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Philip Gissing, http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
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