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Sir Isaiah Berlin, OM, (June 6 1909 – November 5 1997) was a political philosopher and historian of ideas, regarded as one of the leading liberal thinkers of the 20th century. Born in Riga, then part of the Russian Empire, he was the first Jew to be elected to a prize fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford. From 1957 to 1967, he was Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at the University of Oxford. In 1967, he helped to found Wolfson College, Oxford, and became its first president. He was knighted in 1957, and was awarded the Order of Merit in 1971. He was president of the British Academy from 1974 to 1978. He also received the 1979 Jerusalem Prize for writings on the theme of individual freedom in society.
Berlin's work on liberal theory has had a lasting influence. His 1958 inaugural lecture, "Two Concepts of Liberty", in which he famously distinguished between positive and negative liberty, has informed much of the debate since then on the relationship between liberty and equality.
Life
Berlin was born into a Jewish family, the son of Mendel Berlin, a timber merchant, and his wife Marie, née Volshonok. He spent his childhood in Riga, Latvia and St Petersburg (then called Petrograd), witnessing the Russian Revolution of 1917, and arriving with his family in Britain in 1921. In the United Kingdom, he was educated at St Paul's School, London, a private school, then at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he studied Greats (Classics) and PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics). He was to remain at Oxford for the rest of his life, apart from a period working for the British Information Services in New York (1940-2), the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. (1942-5), and Moscow (1945-6). In 1956, he married Aline Halban, née de Gunzbourg. Berlin was a friend of the British philosopher Alfred Ayer. More on [ Isaiah Berlin ]
Political Philosophy :: Political Science
History of Philosophy :: Philosophy
Liberalism :: Politics
Isaiah Berlin on Tolstoy (pdf) 'The Hedgehog and the fox' http://bit.ly/8nGxAM (via Ready Steady Book http://bit.ly/6k5HoR)
Litblog (The Book Blog) Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:46:45 -0000
Isaiah Berlin on Tolstoy (pdf) 'The Hedgehog and the fox' http://bit.ly/8nGxAM (via Ready Steady Book http://bit.ly/6k5HoR)
Liberty for wolves is death to the lambs.Isaiah Berlin http://bit.ly/wr5k9
LibertyBiz (Lane Johnson) Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:09:56 -0000
Liberty for wolves is death to the lambs.Isaiah Berlin http://bit.ly/wr5k9
RT: @saladeprensa :4) "Sobre la libertad", Isaiah Berlin. #medios #periodismo #periodistas #politica
notiven (Notiven . com) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:59:31 -0000
RT: @saladeprensa :4) "Sobre la libertad", Isaiah Berlin. #medios #periodismo #periodistas #politica
4) "Sobre la libertad", Isaiah Berlin. #medios #periodismo #periodistas #politica
saladeprensa (Gerardo Albarrán) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:57:56 -0000
4) "Sobre la libertad", Isaiah Berlin. #medios #periodismo #periodistas #politica
RT @MiguelCarbonell: Libros imprescindibles en ciencias sociales: 4) "Sobre la libertad", Isaiah Berlin.
AliceOJ (Alicia Ocampo, Ph.D.) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:20:04 -0000
RT @MiguelCarbonell: Libros imprescindibles en ciencias sociales: 4) "Sobre la libertad", Isaiah Berlin.
RT @MiguelCarbonell: Libros imprescindibles en ciencias sociales: 4) "Sobre la libertad", Isaiah Berlin/CUATRO ENSAYOS sobre la libertad! ;)
pologama (Leopoldo Gama) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:15:59 -0000
RT @MiguelCarbonell: Libros imprescindibles en ciencias sociales: 4) "Sobre la libertad", Isaiah Berlin/CUATRO ENSAYOS sobre la libertad! ;)
A Great Man in a Grim Time - A tribute to the philosopher by Arthur Schlesinger includes a biography, reproduction of Berlin's obituary in the New York Times, and texts of many of his works.
Meta Description: [ A friend remembers Isaiah Berlin, philosopher and historian. ]
Author's Calendar: Isaiah Berlin - Biography and bibliography.
Chief Rabbi: Sir Isaiah Berlin - Concise eulogy delivered at the Jewish thinker's funeral.
Meta Description: [ Today we, the friends and family of Sir Isaiah Berlin, observe a private grief for the loss of one we knew and loved. But we are conscious that we stand in the midst of an immense public grief ]
Isaiah Berlin and the History of Ideas - A biographical essay.
Meta Description: [ An outline biography of Sir Isaiah Berlin exponent of the history of ideas. ]
Isaiah Berlin Virtual Library. - Provides basic biographical outline and information on the Isaiah Berlin Papers, in addition to essays, links, pictures and bibliographies. Hosted by Wolfson College, Oxford.
Meta Description: [ Supports the Isaiah Berlin Literary Trust in its work of looking after all aspects of Isaiah Berlin’s literary estate and fostering awareness of and access to his intellectual and literary legacy, particularly editing and publishing his unpublished works and letters and publishing collections o... ]
Philosopher and Political Thinker Sir Isaiah Berlin Dies - BBC obituary from 1997. Includes an audio clip of the philosopher's definition of liberal.
Meta Description: [ The philosopher and intellectual historian Sir Isaiah Berlin, one of the most prominant political thinkers of the 20th century, has died in the English university city of Oxford. Sir Isaiah was widely considered one of the most influential and brilliant scholars of his generation. ]
Sir Isaiah Berlin - A Tribute from Wolfson College, Oxford. Includes obituary, bibliography and essays on the philosopher and his works.
Sir Isaiah Berlin Papers - Information on this archive housed at the Bodleian Library, including selected image files and a profile of the thinker.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Isaiah Berlin - Life, thoughts and bibliography.
Wikipedia: Isaiah Berlin - Entry from this openly-edited encyclopedia.
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