Isaiah Berlin

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Sir Isaiah Berlin (June 6 1909 – November 5 1997) was a political philosopher and historian of ideas, regarded as one of the leading liberal thinkers of the 20th century. http://berlin.wolf.ox.ac.uk/writings_on_ib/hhonib/obituary1.html Born in Riga, now Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire, he was the first Jew to be elected to a prize fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford; became the founding president of Wolfson College, Oxford; and from 1957 to 1967, served as the Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at the University of Oxford. He was knighted in 1957, was awarded the Order of Merit in 1971, and was president of the British Academy from 1974 to 1978.

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June 6 - 1909 - November 5 - 1997 - Philosopher - Historian of ideas - Liberal - 20th century - Riga - Latvia - Russian Empire - Jew - All Souls College, Oxford - Wolfson College, Oxford - Chichele Professor - University of Oxford - Knighted - Order of Merit - British Academy

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Berlin's work on liberal theory has had a lasting influence. His 1958 essay "Two Concepts of Liberty", in which he famously distinguished between positive and negative liberty, has informed much of the debate since then on the relationship between liberty and equality.

Related Topics:
Essay - Two Concepts of Liberty - Positive - Negative liberty - Liberty - Equality

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