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Between Friedrich Meinecke and Ernst Cassirer: Isaiah Berlin’s Bifurcated Enlightenment

Abstract:

This chapter explores the hitherto neglected influence of Friedrich Meinecke on Isaiah Berlin’s distinction between a mostly French Enlightenment and its alleged rivals in Germany. Highlighting the structural and terminological similarities between Berlin’s account of the Counter-Enlightenment and Meinecke’s description of the precursors of historicism, it also provides as yet unpublished evidence from Berlin’s correspondence to this effect. Berlin’s endorsement of Meinecke’s dichotomy between Enlightenment and pre-historicism is situated against his distaste for attempts to reveal cross-currents and common themes in eighteenth-century thought. This aversion to the study of transnational links in the Enlightenment is manifest in Berlin’s hostile reaction to Ernst Cassirer’s work on the topic.

Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Reviewed (other)

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Publisher copy:
10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198783930.003.0004

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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
HUMS
Department:
History Faculty
Oxford college:
Magdalen College
Role:
Author

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Role:
Editor
Role:
Editor


Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Host title:
Isaiah Berlin and the Enlightenment
Place of publication:
Oxford
Publication date:
2016-10-27
DOI:
ISBN:
9780198783930


Keywords:
Pubs id:
pubs:735383
UUID:
uuid:68c451f1-5f58-4cbe-aca7-091aeaf7b9b8
Local pid:
pubs:735383
Source identifiers:
735383
Deposit date:
2017-10-13
ARK identifier:

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