Isaiah Berlin Series

Sir Isaiah Berlin was a philosopher and historian of ideas, regarded as one of the leading liberal thinkers of the twentieth century. He excelled as an essayist, lecturer, and conversationalist. His writings frequently explored the dichotomy of liberty, distinguishing between negative liberty—defined as the absence of external constraints—and positive liberty, which pertains to self-mastery and self-determination. Berlin was deeply concerned that the concept of positive liberty had historically been susceptible to political abuse, often leading to justifications for coercion and totalitarianism, a trajectory he contrasted with the safer ideal of negative liberty. His advocacy for negative liberty, his vehement opposition to totalitarianism, and his experiences made him a significant intellectual voice against communism during the Cold War.