Name: The Hedgehog and the Fox: An Essay on Tolstoy's View of History (Second Edition)
Price: 19.82 EUR
Availability: InStock
Author: Isaiah Berlin
ISBN: 9780691156002

portada The Hedgehog and the Fox: An Essay on Tolstoy's View of History (Second Edition)

The Hedgehog and the Fox: An Essay on Tolstoy's View of History (Second Edition)

Type

Physical Book

Author

Isaiah Berlin

Preface by

Michael Ignatieff

Illustrated by

Henry Hardy

Publisher

Princeton University Press

Year

2013

Language

English

Pages

144

Format

Paperback

Dimensions

21.3 x 13.7 x 1.3 cm

Weight

0.18 kg.

ISBN

069115600x

ISBN13

9780691156002

Edition No.

0002

Synopsis "The Hedgehog and the Fox: An Essay on Tolstoy's View of History (Second Edition) "

"The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing." This ancient Greek aphorism, preserved in a fragment from the poet Archilochus, describes the central thesis of Isaiah Berlin's masterly essay on Leo Tolstoy and the philosophy of history, the subject of the epilogue to War and Peace. Although there have been many interpretations of the adage, Berlin uses it to mark a fundamental distinction between human beings who are fascinated by the infinite variety of things and those who relate everything to a central, all-embracing system. Applied to Tolstoy, the saying illuminates a paradox that helps explain his philosophy of history: Tolstoy was a fox, but believed in being a hedgehog. One of Berlin's most celebrated works, this extraordinary essay offers profound insights about Tolstoy, historical understanding, and human psychology. This new edition features a revised text that supplants all previous versions, English translations of the many passages in foreign languages, a new foreword in which Berlin biographer Michael Ignatieff explains the enduring appeal of Berlin's essay, and a new appendix that provides rich context, including excerpts from reviews and Berlin's letters, as well as a startling new interpretation of Archilochus's epigram.

Isaiah Berlin

(Author)

View Author's Page

Isaiah Berlin (1909–1997) was an influential British philosopher and thinker of Latvian origin, known for his contributions to political theory and the history of ideas. Born in Riga, Latvia, his family emigrated to England in 1921. He studied at the University of Oxford, where he became a fellow of All Souls College and New College, and also founded Wolfson College. During World War II, he worked as a diplomat in Washington and Moscow. He was president of the British Academy from 1974 to 1978 and received various awards for his intellectual work.

His most famous essay, The Hedgehog and the Fox (1953), interprets Leon Tolstoy's view of history through an Archilochus metaphor: “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” Berlin classifies thinkers into two types: the "hedgehogs," who structure their worldview around a single central idea, and the "foxes," who have a more scattered and multiple perspective. According to Berlin, Tolstoy embodies both roles: by his talent, a fox; by his convictions, a hedgehog.

This essay has become an essential work for understanding the different approaches to thought and history.

See less