“If, as I believe, the ends of men are many, and not all of them are in principle compatible with each other, then the possibility of conflict - and of tragedy - can never wholly be eliminated from human life, either personal or social. The necessity of choosing between absolute claims is then an inescapable characteristic of the human condition. This gives its value to freedom as Acton conceived of it - as an end in itself, and not as a temporary need, arising out of our confused notions and irrational and disordered lives, a predicament which a panacea could one day put right.”
Quote by Isaiah Berlin
Author
Isaiah Berlin
Isaiah Berlin was a British philosopher renowned for his contributions to political philosophy, aesthetics, and intellectual history. He was a prominent figure in 20th-century philosophical discourse and held a professorship at the University of Oxford. Berlin's philosophy focused on the significance of individual freedom and the variety of human values. more
You May Also Like
“We can count on so few people to go that hard way with us.”
Source: On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose 1966-1978
“I don’t think we can separate art from overall human dignity and hope.”
Source: Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations
Source: On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose 1966-1978
“In a world where language and naming are power, silence is oppression, is violence.”
Source: On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose 1966-1978
Source: Of woman born motherhood as experience and institution
“A language is a map of our failures”
Source: Poemas, 1963-2000
Source: Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations