Conversations With Isaiah Berlin - Hardcover

RAMIN JAHANBEGLOO Born 1956, Iran. Currently lectures in Political Philosophy and Comparative Politics at the University of Toronto. ISAIAH BERLIN Born 1909, Lithuania. In 1916 he moved with his family to Petrograd. In 1921 his family moved to England. Educated at St Paul's School and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Thereafter he remained at Oxford, where he held Fellowships at All Souls College and New College, and became Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory (1957-67) and first President of Wolfson College (1966-75). He was President of the British Academy from 1974 to 1978. He died in Oxford in November 1997. During the Second World War he was sent by the FO to New York (1941); Washington (1942 - 1946), Moscow (1945-6. He received many honorary degrees as well as the Erasmus , Lippincott, Jerusalem and Agnelli Prizes.

What began as an interview of the noted British philosopher and historian of ideas, conducted by the Iranian philosopher Jahanbegloo for the journal Esprit , grew into a series of five conversations, comprising a sort of intellectual memoir. They range over Berlin's writings on historicism, pluralism, and liberty as well as the ideas of thinkers such as Vico, Herder, and Herzen. Berlin also speaks of his many friends and acquaintances among the important thinkers and artists of the 20th century. Both urbane and opinionated, these conversations provide an able introduction to Berlin's thought that ultimately sends us back to his many books and essays. A fitting history of the ideas of the great historian of ideas.
- T.L. Cooksey, Armstrong State Coll., Savannah, Ga.
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