Michael Ignatieff and Sir Michael Howard discuss warfare, human rights, and the life of philosopher Isaiah Berlin. Topics include Just War theory, responsibility for fellow human beings, prospects for world peace, and the impact of technology on conflict. The podcast explores Berlin's views on liberty, individual choice, nationalism, and liberalism in the context of 20th-century ideologies and historical shifts from optimism to existential dread.
Isaiah Berlin emphasized the complexities of human values, advocating for liberalism that acknowledges conflicting principles.
Totalizing ideologies in the 20th century brought catastrophic consequences, highlighting the destructive power of utopian promises.
Deep dives
Isaiah Berlin's Central Vision of Liberty and Tragic Choices
Isaiah Berlin, a philosopher, discovered his core belief in defending liberty against totalitarian tyranny after witnessing Russian intellectuals being persecuted in Moscow. His liberalism emphasized making tragic choices where values like liberty conflicted with equality, and justice conflicted with mercy. Berlin advocated for a liberalism that acknowledged the complexities and contradictions of human values, especially in multicultural societies where conflicting worldviews exist.
Ideologies and the Catastrophic Impact of the 20th Century
The 20th century saw the dominance of ideologies like fascism and socialism, driven by intellectual projects that led to catastrophic consequences such as concentration camps. The efficient state machinery combined with totalizing ideologies almost destroyed humanity. Isaiah Berlin's skepticism towards utopias resonates as a critique of the destructive power of ideologies that promise perfect societies.
Nationalism, Liberalism, and the Challenges of the 20th Century
Isaiah Berlin's nuanced view on nationalism recognized the longing for belonging while upholding liberal values. Nationalism's disruptive nature in Eastern Europe arose from the collapse of traditional structures and the growth of local identities. In the 20th century, fear of big ideas and the emphasis on self-limiting ideologies reflect a response to the global challenges posed by globalization and the historical failures of utopian ideologies.
In the first programme of a new series examining ideas and events which have shaped thinking in philosophy, religion, science and the arts, Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss warfare and human rights in the 20th century. He talks to Michael Ignatieff about the life of one of the 20th century’s leading philosophers, Isaiah Berlin, and to Sir Michael Howard about the 20th century will be remembered; as a century of progress or as one of the most murderous in history. When we see pictures on television of starving people in war torn areas most of us feel we must ‘do’ something. Where does the feeling that we are in some way responsible for our fellow human beings originate historically? How has technology affected the concept of the Just War? And what are the prospects for world peace as we enter the next century? With Michael Ignatieff, writer, broadcaster and biographer of Isaiah Berlin; Sir Michael Howard, formerly Regius Professor of History, Oxford University and joint editor of the new Oxford History of the Twentieth Century.
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