From the Editor's Desk

Do you try to avoid your boss? For Isaiah Berlin that's a big problem

Every now and then, I fantasize about the end of the world. I imagine what it would be like if it were just me left (and a few loved ones, I suppose). I run through all the fun to be had — the fast cars I’d drive, the mansions I’d commandeer, and the luxury clothes I’d wear. There’d be no need to go to work, no need to worry about money, and no need to navigate the delicate waltz that is social nicety. My imagination drifts into the contented liberation of apocalyptica.

But, after a while, I know things would grow stale. I’d be free from the constraints of certain things, but not free to do others. There are no laws or expectations, and nothing more than that either. It’s a good way to understand 20th-century theorist Isaiah Berlin’s positive and negative freedom. Learning about Berlin’s distinction not only reveals an important philosophy; it’s also a great way to understand human flourishing more broadly in every walk of life.

Continued here

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