'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. A thorough and trenchant piece of scholarship, moving over a vast range to match that of Berlin himself....
The Philosophy of Isaiah Berlin should pique the interest of those who perhaps need to do some soul-searching and return to a philosophical justification for the liberalism.... A book like Lyons's serves a function beyond the explication of the thought of one of liberalism's most contemplative, meticulous and erudite defenders. * Dublin Review of Books * [A] deeply impressive book ... Broad in its field of references - the book quotes poets and novelists and journalists as well as a huge range of philosophers - it's an exemplary work of humanistic thought. * The Critic * As a convinced liberal, I confess that I am not an entirely objective reader when it comes to Isaiah Berlin, though this also makes me a critical reader of books about him. Johnny Lyons shows, in a most attractive and readable style, how Berlin was not just a student of the history of ideas, but a product of that history, as well as a very significant contributor to the world of ideas. If you want to get a sense, not only of the key elements of Isaiah Berlin's thinking, but of why he is so important, you could not do better than to read this new book. It not only sets out Berlin's ideas, but gives context to them, and that provides a particular depth and richness to the work, and to an understanding of Berlin. * Lord Alderdice, former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly 1998-2004, leader of the Alliance Party of Norther Ireland 1987-98 and currently Senior Research Fellow at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, UK * Isaiah Berlin is generally recognised as one of the most important political thinkers -and best essayists - of the last hundred years. But what is less well known is that his celebrated defence of pluralism and liberalism is informed by an original if not fully explicit conception of philosophy. In
The Philosophy of Isaiah BerlinJohnny Lyons excavates the hidden theoretical foundations of Berlin's ideas, transforming our understanding of his political thought. In linked chapters on philosophy, contingency, freedom and authenticity, Lyons exhibits not only a mastery of Berlin's writings but a convincing appreciation of their place in the wider debates that continue to dominate philosophy, political theory and intellectual history. His book provides an exceptionally clear and faithful account of Berlin's philosophical outlook as well as an accessible and lively introduction to philosophy as a humanistic discipline. -- John Gray, Professor Emeritus of European Thought at the London School of Economics and author of Isaiah Berlin: An Interpretation of His Thought
The Philosophy of Isaiah Berlin by Johnny Lyons is a deeply engaged encounter with the writings of Isaiah Berlin. Based on the assumption that Berlin's work was grounded in a unified and wide-ranging philosophical perspective, the book provides one of the few sustained systematic accounts of that perspective, demonstrating the originality and depth of Berlin's ideas. Lyons relates Berlin's thought to some of the most urgent questions of contemporary philosophy in an impressively scholarly yet accessible manner. -- James L. Hyland, Lecturer (retired) in Political Science, Trinity College Dublin, and author of Democratic Theory: The Philosophical Foundations Every now and then in life one encounters a book that stands head and shoulders above its surroundings. For me Johnny Lyons's study of Isaiah Berlin's ideas is such a book. Its style and content gripped me from the start, and the author seems to me to display considerable originality and ingenuity in understanding the various threads of Berlin's thought, uniting them, and displaying the result as a consistent, satisfying whole that tells us something new and profound about the human condition. -- Henry Hardy, Isaiah Berlin's principal editor, and author of In Search of Isaiah Berlin: A Literary Adventure Lyons's book draws our attention anew to one of the keenest philosophical minds of the twentieth century, or indeed of any century. Isaiah Berlin was unduly modest about his philosophical writings, and in this original, lucid and compelling study, Lyons shows that Berlin was a far more consistent and integrated thinker than perhaps even he himself realised. His book is required reading for anyone interested in Berlin, and in the life of the mind. -- John Banville, winner of the 2005 Booker Prize If you thought the philosophical legacy of Isaiah Berlin came to little more than his renowned distinction between positive and negative liberty, Johnny Lyons's
The Philosophy of Isaiah Berlin will make you think again. Central to Lyons's discussion is Berlin's thesis of value pluralism, which Lyons places firmly in a dialectical and revealing conversation with Rorty, Dworkin, Putnam and others, and for which he makes a most persuasive case. An elegant, scholarly and engaging introduction to the thought of a neglected philosopher,
The Philosophy of Isaiah Berlin is in its own right a significant and sophisticated treatise in political philosophy. -- Gerard Casey, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University College Dublin, and author of Freedom's Progress? One couldn't wish for a more enlightening or readable account of Berlin's philosophy. Beginners will learn from this excellent book and Berlin aficionados will be stimulated by it. It is hard to imagine anyone reading Lyons on Berlin and not wanting to read more Berlin or, for that matter, more Lyons. Highly recommended. * Quassim Cassam, Professor of Philosophy, University of Warwick, UK *
The Philosophy of Isaiah Berlin
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