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"Human Nature" And Liberty

Posted on:2013-08-20Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:X Z ShangFull Text:PDF
GTID:1226330395470273Subject:Foreign philosophy
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
With the deep awareness to many catastrophic problems in twentieth century, Isaiah Berlin gives a profound reflection to liberalism which is the foundation of western political system. He thinks that the mainstream monism is the cause to problems above, and he advocates that we should give up the method to dependence on rationalism excessively, even the view of human nature. We fall into the difficult position because we give the legal force to the state political power, and it also because that we try to create a course of theory which can make people to proceed to the perfect world by the universal view of human nature. So we must explain the concept of liberty again, and we must deliberate the abuse of the view of human nature again.So Berlin’s liberalism is established by opposing to the stationary view of human nature and the theory of perfect society. The theory of perfect society is established by the hypothesis that man has a fixed feature and a goal which is universal, common and perpetual. Human nature can be realized by reaching that goal, and we can find the ultimate answers to the problems, so as to establish a world which is absolutely harmonious, it is also the concrete reflection to western utopianism. Berlin does not make criticize directly to the mainstream view, but to discuss the history of ideology by the side way. By the systematically crystallizing to the thoughts of Machiavelli, Vico, Herder and Herzen, he makes us to understand the other side relative to the mainstream thoughts. He tries to make us to find out how dull and abstract the view of human nature is in Liberalism, and shows us the realistic, variational and plural human nature.The justification principles to liberalism has changed on account of the plural human nature and value pluralism, so I want to analyze and discuss that how liberalism can be proved by plural view of human nature, and reveal the relevancies between the plural view of human nature and liberty. Therefore, my dissertation does not want to discuss the political thought simply and only concern the view of human nature which is metaphysical basis of Berlin’s political liberalism. The core topics I want to resolve involves the new basis of Berlin’s liberalism, which is considered as follows:The political liberalism which advocates pluralism should insist what kind of the view of human nature. So the substances and significances of this dissertation are considered as follows:"human nature" should be the other centre concept in Berlin’s liberalism. Berlin tries to criticize the view of human nature which is representative thought of political philosophy in modern Europe, launch an arrangement to the base view of human nature on liberalism, and explore true human nature and the relevancies between human nature and liberty. As a result of, Berlin explains intensively the possibility and reality that how to make social system be established by the plural view of human nature instead of the stationary view of human nature. In premise of plural view of human nature, Berlin shows us the basis of theory on social system and political system by means of limited reason and disposal of the concept on monism and utopianism, and finally to achieve the defense to the negative freedom, and deduce the neoliberalism with the help of new view of human nature logically. So, until we have resolved this problem above, we can’t explain clearly how new the Berlin’s liberalism is; we can’t comment the subtle differences between Berlin’s liberalism and those prior to his; we can’t make my research to contact with Berlin’optimal thought; and we can’t have a conversation with his thought by the sympathy and comprehensive attitude. Furthermore, I want to sum up the strong points relative to Berlin’s neoliberalism by exploring the history of ideology on western history of ideas, so as to find out further the room to criticizing and improving Berlin’s thought. At last, I will try my best to express my opinions to Berlin’ thought, and communicate it with everyone.
Keywords/Search Tags:view of human nature, pluralism, liberty, liberal nationalism
PDF Full Text Request
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