Portrait of Isaiah Berlin
Center · Thinker or writer · From history

Isaiah Berlin

British philosopher and historian, 1909 to 1997

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Distinguished negative liberty, freedom from interference, from positive liberty, and warned that pursuing a single ideal of the good can justify tyranny.

Isaiah Berlin sits in the right-libertarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: centered on economy and strongly libertarian. The clearest positions are strongly libertarian on liberty and authority and strongly institutional on institutions. The profile is close to the middle on economy, war and peace and religion.

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Where Isaiah Berlin sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomyCentered on economy
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityStrongly libertarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureSlightly progressive
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationSlightly globalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentSlightly nature-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologySlightly tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceCentered on war and peace
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsStrongly institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionCentered on religion
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismSlightly interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like Isaiah Berlin

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Belarusian opposition leader99%Timothy Snyder American historian99%John Rawls American philosopher, 1921 to 200298%Jonathan Haidt American social psychologist and author98%Cyril Ramaphosa President of South Africa, 2018 to present97%Karl Popper Austrian-British philosopher, 1902 to 199497%Alexis de Tocqueville French political thinker and statesman, 1805 to 185997%John Maynard Keynes British economist, 1883 to 194697%

People furthest from Isaiah Berlin

Benito Mussolini Prime Minister of Italy, 1922 to 194319%Adolf Hitler Chancellor and Führer of Germany, 1933 to 194520%Jair Bolsonaro President of Brazil, 2019 to 202221%Joseph Stalin Soviet leader, 1920s to 195321%

Political views closest to Isaiah Berlin

Civic republicanismValues citizen participation, civic virtue and freedom from domination, and often…99%ConstitutionalismHolds that power should be limited by a written constitution, independent courts and…99%KeynesianismSupports government spending and central bank action to smooth recessions and protect…97%Social market economyKeeps markets competitive but backs them with rules, social insurance and partnership…97%

Read more about Isaiah Berlin

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Biographies of Isaiah BerlinBooks on civic republicanism

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Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: Rob C. Croes (ANEFO), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.