Summary of Isaiah Berlin's The Crooked Timber of Humanity

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 There are two factors that have shaped human history in the twentieth century. The first is the development of the natural sciences and technology, which has been a great success story. The second is the ideological storms that have changed the lives of virtually all mankind.

#2 The Russian writers who shaped my outlook were concerned with the roots of injustice, oppression, and moral blindness in the human condition. They believed that solutions to the central problems existed, and that one could discover them with enough selfless effort.

#3 The rational reorganization of society was believed to put an end to spiritual and intellectual confusion, the reign of prejudice and superstition, blind obedience to unexamined dogmas, and the stupidities and cruelties of the oppressive regimes which such intellectual darkness bred and promoted.

#4 The idea that there are timeless truths, and that we can reach them through reason, was the solution to the cosmic jigsaw puzzle. It was the foundation of the perfect life, and it allowed us to understand the rules that governed the universe.

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Rafbók: 12 maj 2022