The Sense of Reality: Studies in Ideas and Their History
The publication of a new book by Sir Isaiah Berlin is always a welcome thing, andThe Sense of Realityis no exception. In this volume the eminent scholar gathers nine long essays, eight previously unpublished, on the ideas that have governed European history for the last three centuries: nationalism, liberalism, and especially Marxism. Always seeking to draw moral lessons, Berlin wonders aloud why it is that humans admire men stirred by the lust for power or jealousy of others, or monomaniacal vanity--including notable figures of history like Peter the Great and Napoleon. He proposes a few answers in this study of ideas brought to power, and those answers are always illuminating.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.