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The Power Of Ideas

Isaiah Berlin Henry Hardy

$55

Paperback

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English
Pimlico
01 June 2001
'A volume which covers the key areas of Berlin's interests in an unusually accessible way; it will take its place as, quite simply, the best short introduction to his thinking' - Sunday Telegraph

'Over a hundred years ago, the German poet Heine warned the French not to underestimate the power of ideas- philosophical concepts nurtured in the stillness of a professor's study could destroy a civilisation' - Isaiah Berlin, Two Concepts of Liberty, 1958.

The nineteen essays collected here show Isaiah Berlin at his most lucid- these short, introductory pieces provide the perfect starting point for the reader new to his work. Their linking theme is the crucial social and political role of ideas, and of their progenitors. The subjects vary widely - from philosophy to education, from Russia to Israel, from Marxism to romanticism - and the appositeness of Heine's warning is exemplified on a broad front.

The contents include Berlin's last essay - a retrospective autobiographical survey and the classic statement of his Zionist views. As a whole the book exhibits the full range of his expertise, and demonstrates the enormously engaging individuality, as well as the power, of his own ideas.
By:  
Edited by:  
Imprint:   Pimlico
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Height: 233mm,  Width: 154mm,  Spine: 19mm
Weight:   319g
ISBN:   9780712665544
ISBN 10:   0712665544
Pages:   240
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Reviews for The Power Of Ideas

Ranging from Zionism to the Enlightenment, to the Russian Intelligentia here is a welcome collection of Berlins most lucid and well-crafted essays orbiting around his first preoccupation - the potency of ideas. Together they construct a strong edifice that defends the need for intellectual history. With characteristic clarity Berlin tackles opaque subjects and renders them intelligible: his topics include Vissarion Belinsky, Alexander Herzen and G V Plekhanov as well as overarching concepts such as historicism, political realism and the idea of liberty. Berlin heeded the warning of the German poet Heine that 'philosophical concepts nurtured in the stillness of a professor's study could destroy a civilisation.' (Kirkus UK)


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