One And the Many: Reading Isaiah Berlin

by George Crowder (Editor), Henry Hardy (Editor)

Isaiah Berlin is widely acknowledged as a major figure in twentieth-century political philosophy and the history of ideas. His famous Oxford inaugural lecture, Two Concepts of Liberty, especially the last, crucial, section, entitled "The One and the Many," has provoked a vast secondary literature. So it is surprising that until now there has been no substantial critical reader dedicated to his work. Editors George Crowder and Henry Hardy have admirably filled this need with this stimulating new volume, which provides a systematic and comprehensive treatment of the main aspects of Berlin's work. The essays (all but two of which are newly commissioned) critically examine Berlin's work across its whole range, including his treatment of Marx, Russian thinkers, Jewish themes, liberty, pluralism, the Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, nationalism, history, and religion. The contributors Jonathan Allen (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign); Shlomo Avineri (Hebrew University, Jerusalem); Terrell Carver (University of Bristol); Joshua L. Cherniss (Harvard and Oxford Universities); George Crowder (Flinders University); William A. Galston (University of Maryland); Graeme Garrard (Cardiff University); Ryan Hanley (Marquette University); Henry Hardy (Oxford University); Michael Jinkins (Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary); David Miller (Oxford University); Mario Ricciardi (University of Milan); and Andrzej Walicki (University of Notre Dame). Complete with a valuable bibliography, this outstanding collection of recent scholarship on a seminal thinker shows the continuing relevance and importance of Berlin's many contributions to the understanding of our contemporary predicament.

Genres: Philosophy

327 pages, Hardcover

First published April 2, 2007

Reviews

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ambitious goal of this collection of essays is to provide a comprehensive introduction to the thought of Isaiah Berlin "across its whole range". Whether or not that goal is achieved it is still an impressive array of essays that focus on the broad range of Berlin's work. Beginning with an essay on Berlin's Karl Marx the essays cove such topics as pluralism and liberalism, history, nationalism, the Russian intelligentsia, and Liberty. Having read several of Berlin's books I found this an excellent adjunct to that read. However, it may also be used as an introduction to the wide range of Isaiah Berlin's thought.