Picture 1 of 10
Isaiah Berlin by John Gray (1997, Trade Paperback)
Condition:
“See images for examples of prior reader engagement with the text.”
Shipping:
Located in: Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
Delivery:
Estimated between Thu, May 30 and Fri, May 31 to 43230
Returns:
Payments:
Shop with confidence
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:364344197148
Item specifics
- Condition
- Good
- Seller Notes
- “See images for examples of prior reader engagement with the text.”
- ISBN
- 9780691048246
- Book Title
- Isaiah Berlin
- Item Length
- 8in
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press
- Publication Year
- 1997
- Format
- Trade Paperback
- Language
- English
- Item Height
- 0.6in
- Genre
- Biography & Autobiography, Philosophy
- Topic
- Philosophers, History & Surveys / Modern, Political
- Item Width
- 5in
- Item Weight
- 1 Oz
- Number of Pages
- 197 Pages
About this product
Product Information
In 1921, at the age of eleven, Isaiah Berlin arrived in England from Riga, Latvia. By the time he was thirty he was at the heart of British intellectual life. He has remained its commanding presence ever since, and few would dispute that he was one of Britain's greatest thinkers. His reputation extends worldwide--as a great conversationalist, intellectual historian, and man of letters. He has been called the century's most inspired reader. Yet Berlin's contributions to thought--in particular to moral and political philosophy, and to liberal theory--are little understood, and surprisingly neglected by the academic world. In this book, they are shown to be animated by a single, powerful, subversive idea: value-pluralism which affirms the reality of a deep conflict between ultimate human values that reason cannot resolve. Though bracingly clear-headed, humane and realist, Berlin's value-pluralism runs against the dominant Western traditions, secular and religious, which avow an ultimate harmony of values. It supports a highly distinctive restatement of liberalism in Berlin's work--an agnostic liberalism, which is founded not on rational choice but on the radical choices we make when faced with intractable dilemmas. It is this new statement of liberalism, the central subject of John Gray's lively and lucid book, which gives the liberal intellectual tradition a new lease on life, a new source of life, and which comprises Berlin's central and enduring legacy.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Princeton University Press
ISBN-10
069104824x
ISBN-13
9780691048246
eBay Product ID (ePID)
25038667804
Product Key Features
Book Title
Isaiah Berlin
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Philosophers, History & Surveys / Modern, Political
Publication Year
1997
Genre
Biography & Autobiography, Philosophy
Number of Pages
197 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
8in
Item Height
0.6in
Item Width
5in
Item Weight
1 Oz
Additional Product Features
Reviews
Like Berlin, Gray's historical sensibility, lack of parochialism, and courageous and imaginative contemplation of vistas outside the narrow confines of academic liberalism make him, as this book abundantly demonstrates, ideally situated to reflect deeply on the predicaments of the modern world. ---Pratap Bhanu, American Political Science Review, Gray clearly identifies deeply with Berlin's system of thought, enters into it, and then worries persistently about its tensions and stresses and seeks a way out. This focus on a single theme, and the almost anguished perplexity are attractive features of Gray's book. ---Ernest Gellner, Guardian, "Isaiah Berlin's commitment to liberalism for all its difficulties remains solid, and Mr. Gray's argument is that this "agonistic" liberalism is our best bet . . . It is an argument not to be missed." ---Colin Walters, Washington Times, "Berlin's message is not comforting to conventional liberal establishment susceptibilities. As this book insists, it is deeply subversive. Gray finds in Berlin's 'value pluralism' the leitmotif of all his writings. Ultimate human values, Berlin insists, are conflictive; they cannot be reconciled by rational calculation since they are not measurable, least of all can they be reconciled by what Gray dismisses as 'the desiccated discourse of Anglo-American philosophy,' which Berlin abandoned as incapable of solving anything of importance to us as human beings, at worst a game of juggling with words, at best a species of mental arithmetic dispelling tragic confusions." ---Raymond Carr, Spectator, Gray's book is as much a reconstruction as a presentation of Berlin's thought. . . . Gray's reconstruction is . . . impressive and revealing. It points persuasively to both the overall coherence and the internal tensions of Berlin's thought. . . . Gray has written an acute and illuminating exposition of Berlin's world view. . . . He probably gets closer to Berlin than anyone else has done. ---Michael Walzer, The New York Review of Books, "Isaiah Berlin's commitment to liberalism for all its difficulties remains solid, and Mr. Gray's argument is that this "agonistic" liberalism is our best bet . . . It is an argument not to be missed." --Colin Walters, Washington Times, Isaiah Berlin's commitment to liberalism for all its difficulties remains solid, and Mr. Gray's argument is that this "agonistic" liberalism is our best bet . . . It is an argument not to be missed. ---Colin Walters, Washington Times, "An excellent exposition of Isaiah Berlin's ideas. [Gray] is particularly interesting in his account of Berlin's idea of negative freedom." ---William Phillips, Partisan Review, "Gray's reconstruction is. . .impressive and revealing. It points to both the overall coherence and the internal tensions of Berlin's thought." ---Michael Wlazer, The New York Review of Books, "Succeed[s] in bringing the daring of [Berlin's] thinking so clearly into view. . . . Berlin's commitment to liberalism for all its difficulties remains solid, and Mr. Gray's argument is that this 'agonistic' liberalism is our best bet. . . . It is an argument not to be missed." ---Colin Walters, The Washington Times, "Gray's reconstruction is. . .impressive and revealing. It points to both the overall coherence and the internal tensions of Berlin's thought." --Michael Wlazer, The New York Review of Books, "A clearly written and well-argued book that is essential reading for anyone concerned with contemporary moral and political thought." -- Ethics, "An excellent exposition of Isaiah Berlin's ideas. [Gray] is particularly interesting in his account of Berlin's idea of negative freedom." --William Phillips, Partisan Review, "Succeed[s] in bringing the daring of [Berlin's] thinking so clearly into view. . . . Berlin's commitment to liberalism for all its difficulties remains solid, and Mr. Gray's argument is that this 'agonistic' liberalism is our best bet. . . . It is an argument not to be missed." --Colin Walters, The Washington Times, "Like Berlin, Gray's historical sensibility, lack of parochialism, and courageous and imaginative contemplation of vistas outside the narrow confines of academic liberalism make him, as this book abundantly demonstrates, ideally situated to reflect deeply on the predicaments of the modern world." ---Pratap Bhanu, American Political Science Review, Gray is a forceful writer, an engaged political theorist with a serious interest in philosophical fundamentals. ---Steven Lukes, Times Literary Supplement, An excellent exposition of Isaiah Berlin's ideas. [Gray] is particularly interesting in his account of Berlin's idea of negative freedom. ---William Phillips, Partisan Review, Berlin's message is not comforting to conventional liberal establishment susceptibilities. As this book insists, it is deeply subversive. Gray finds in Berlin's 'value pluralism' the leitmotif of all his writings. Ultimate human values, Berlin insists, are conflictive; they cannot be reconciled by rational calculation since they are not measurable, least of all can they be reconciled by what Gray dismisses as 'the desiccated discourse of Anglo-American philosophy,' which Berlin abandoned as incapable of solving anything of importance to us as human beings, at worst a game of juggling with words, at best a species of mental arithmetic dispelling tragic confusions. ---Raymond Carr, Spectator, "Gray is a forceful writer, an engaged political theorist with a serious interest in philosophical fundamentals." ---Steven Lukes, Times Literary Supplement, "Gray is a forceful writer, an engaged political theorist with a serious interest in philosophical fundamentals." --Steven Lukes, Times Literary Supplement, A clearly written and well-argued book that is essential reading for anyone concerned with contemporary moral and political thought., "Isaiah Berlin is without a doubt the greatest living authority on the history of ideas. . . . He stands as one of the pre-eminent modern exemplars of political liberalism. . . It is the singular merit of John Gray to have distilled from Berlin's voluminous writings the philosophical essence of his liberalism within this slim volume. . . . In his thoughtful study of Berlin's political philosophy, John Gray performs the admirable service of demonstrating how consummately civilized a man Isaiah Berlin is." ---David Glasner, National Review, "Like Berlin, Gray's historical sensibility, lack of parochialism, and courageous and imaginative contemplation of vistas outside the narrow confines of academic liberalism make him, as this book abundantly demonstrates, ideally situated to reflect deeply on the predicaments of the modern world." --Pratap Bhanu, American Political Science Review, "Gray clearly identifies deeply with Berlin's system of thought, enters into it, and then worries persistently about its tensions and stresses and seeks a way out. This focus on a single theme, and the almost anguished perplexity are attractive features of Gray's book." --Ernest Gellner, Guardian, Gray's reconstruction is. . .impressive and revealing. It points to both the overall coherence and the internal tensions of Berlin's thought. ---Michael Wlazer, The New York Review of Books, "Gray's book is as much a reconstruction as a presentation of Berlin's thought. . . . Gray's reconstruction is . . . impressive and revealing. It points persuasively to both the overall coherence and the internal tensions of Berlin's thought. . . . Gray has written an acute and illuminating exposition of Berlin's world view. . . . He probably gets closer to Berlin than anyone else has done." ---Michael Walzer, The New York Review of Books, Succeed[s] in bringing the daring of [Berlin's] thinking so clearly into view. . . . Berlin's commitment to liberalism for all its difficulties remains solid, and Mr. Gray's argument is that this 'agonistic' liberalism is our best bet. . . . It is an argument not to be missed. ---Colin Walters, The Washington Times, "Gray astutely guides readers through the complex ideas of an important philosopher." -- Publishers Weekly, "Gray astutely guides readers through the complex ideas of an important philosopher. . . ." -- Publishers Weekly, "Isaiah Berlin is without a doubt the greatest living authority on the history of ideas. . . . He stands as one of the pre-eminent modern exemplars of political liberalism. . . It is the singular merit of John Gray to have distilled from Berlin's voluminous writings the philosophical essence of his liberalism within this slim volume. . . . In his thoughtful study of Berlin's political philosophy, John Gray performs the admirable service of demonstrating how consummately civilized a man Isaiah Berlin is." --David Glasner, National Review, "Gray's book is as much a reconstruction as a presentation of Berlin's thought. . . . Gray's reconstruction is . . . impressive and revealing. It points persuasively to both the overall coherence and the internal tensions of Berlin's thought. . . . Gray has written an acute and illuminating exposition of Berlin's world view. . . . He probably gets closer to Berlin than anyone else has done." --Michael Walzer, The New York Review of Books, "Gray clearly identifies deeply with Berlin's system of thought, enters into it, and then worries persistently about its tensions and stresses and seeks a way out. This focus on a single theme, and the almost anguished perplexity are attractive features of Gray's book." ---Ernest Gellner, Guardian, Isaiah Berlin is without a doubt the greatest living authority on the history of ideas. . . . He stands as one of the pre-eminent modern exemplars of political liberalism. . . It is the singular merit of John Gray to have distilled from Berlin's voluminous writings the philosophical essence of his liberalism within this slim volume. . . . In his thoughtful study of Berlin's political philosophy, John Gray performs the admirable service of demonstrating how consummately civilized a man Isaiah Berlin is. ---David Glasner, National Review, "Berlin's message is not comforting to conventional liberal establishment susceptibilities. As this book insists, it is deeply subversive. Gray finds in Berlin's 'value pluralism' the leitmotif of all his writings. Ultimate human values, Berlin insists, are conflictive; they cannot be reconciled by rational calculation since they are not measurable, least of all can they be reconciled by what Gray dismisses as 'the desiccated discourse of Anglo-American philosophy,' which Berlin abandoned as incapable of solving anything of importance to us as human beings, at worst a game of juggling with words, at best a species of mental arithmetic dispelling tragic confusions." --Raymond Carr, Spectator
Copyright Date
1996
Target Audience
Trade
Item description from the seller
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:364344197148
Shipping and handling
Item location:
Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
Ships to:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan Republic, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon Republic, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Croatia, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Western Samoa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Excludes:
Barbados, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Guadeloupe, Libya, Martinique, New Caledonia, Reunion, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Venezuela
| Shipping and handling | To | Service | Delivery*See Delivery notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| US $4.13 (approx C $5.65) | United States | Economy Shipping (USPS Media MailTM) | Estimated between Thu, May 30 and Fri, May 31 to 43230 |
| Handling time |
|---|
| Will usually ship within 3 business days of receiving cleared payment. |
| Taxes |
|---|
| Taxes may be applicable at checkout. Learn moreLearn more about paying tax on eBay purchases |
Sales tax for an item #364344197148
Sales tax for an item #364344197148
Seller collects sales tax for items shipped to the following provinces:
| Province | Sales Tax Rate |
|---|
Return policy
| Return policy details |
|---|
| The seller will not accept returns for this item. |
Payment details
Payment methods
Seller feedback (85)
a***h (346)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past month
Verified purchase
Arrived fast, was packaged well, and appeared just as described. Good seller.
u***1 (222)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past 6 months
Verified purchase
An A+ Seller! Purchase arrived safely and was packaged with care. Item was as described and is a wonderful addition to my collection. I’m so happy with my purchase, thank you!
t***_ (33)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past month
Verified purchase
Fast shipping, book is in good condition for the price, smooth and easy transaction, Great seller would buy from again.