Johnny Lyons

The Philosophy of Isaiah Berlin (eBook, PDF)

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

'I gradually came to the conclusion that I should prefer a field in which one could hope to know more at the end of one's life than when one had begun.' So thought Isaiah Berlin toward the end of the Second World War, when he decided to bid farewell to philosophy in favour of the history of ideas. In The Philosophy of Isaiah Berlin Johnny Lyons shows that Berlin's approach to intellectual history amounted to the pursuit of philosophy by other means, creating a more original and fruitful engagement with his lifelong subject. By recasting Berlin as a philosopher who took humanity and history seriously, Lyons reveals the underlying unity of his wide-ranging and disparate ideas and throws into sharp relief the enduring moral charm of his outlook.

Lyons emphasises aspects of Berlin's thinking that have largely been neglected. These include his recognition of historical contingency and of the importance of truth in human affairs, his scepticism about the so-called implications of determinism for our everyday understanding of freedom, and his deeper reasons for thinking that negative liberty should be valued. This introduction to Berlin's thought, and particularly its examination of these mainly overlooked elements of his outlook, reveals a new Berlin, one with surprising and urgent contemporary relevance to the debates that continue to dominate philosophy, politics and intellectual history today.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK
• Seitenzahl: 304
• Erscheinungstermin: 23. Januar 2020
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781350121447
• Artikelnr.: 58509464

Autorenporträt

Johnny Lyons has worked full-time in corporate communications since 1999. Before entering the business world, he tutored and lectured in politics at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Inhaltsangabe

Preface Foreword by Henry Hardy Abbreviations Acknowledgements Part 1: General Introduction Chapter 1
The Nature of Berlin's Political Philosophy Part 2: Philosophy Chapter 2
In the beginning. Chapter 3
Kant's Copernican Revolution Chapter 4
The Humanistic Turn Chapter 5
Taking History Seriously Chapter 6
Interlude: Taking Stock Chapter 7
Philosophy, History and Human Understanding Part Three: Contingency Chapter 8
Philosophy and Belief Chapter 9
The Logic Choppers Chapter 10
The Postmodern Appropriation Chapter 11
The Hedgehog's Revenge Chapter 12
What Are We Left With Chapter 13
Reason, History and Liberalism Part Four: Freedom Chapter 14
Theory versus Practice Chapter 15
The Central Problem of Freedom Chapter 16
Is Determinism Liveable? Chapter 17
Truth, Freedom and Liberalism Chapter 18
Reimagining the Point and Authority of Philosophy Part 5: Authenticity Chapter 19
Framing the Debate Chapter 20
Three Romantics: Hamann, Herder and Kant Chapter 21
Smashing the Jigsaw Chapter 22
The Liberalism of Romanticism Epilogue Bibliography Index