Summary of Isaiah Berlin's Freedom and Its Betrayal

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#1 Helvétius was a French man of German origin who became one of the leaders in the Enlightenment movement. He believed that he had found the single principle that defined the basis of morality, and he thought himself to be the Newton of politics.

#2 The first clear formulation of the principle of utilitarianism is that the only thing that men want is pleasure and the only things they want to avoid are pain. The pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain are the only motives that actually act on men.

#3 The first duty of the philosopher is to apply social hygiene and cure people of their vices. The ends of man are given, and they can be discovered. The answer to the question why we should do what we do is because we are made to do it by nature.

#4 Helvétius believed that it was impossible to improve mankind by just preaching. Only by artificial manipulation could progress be achieved. He believed that there would be progress if a sufficient number of enlightened men with resolute wills and a disinterested passion to improve mankind set themselves to promote it.

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Release date

Ebook: May 14, 2022