16.06.2013 - 10:50 [ Guardian ]

Isaiah Berlin‘s letters reveal his despair at the ‚growth of barbarism‘

Berlin despaired of some of the younger generation – in terms that have a very contemporary ring. In a letter from 1968, he wrote: „I feel depressed by the rapid growth of barbarism – I daresay every generation has … This generation is complacently ignorant, uses mechanical formulae to dispose of anything that may be difficult or complicated, hates history.“