Isaiah Berlin: A Life by Michael Ignatieff

[Philosophy Now]

Ralph Blumenau examines the open book of Isaiah Berlin’s life.

http://philosophynow.org/issues/23/Isai ... _Ignatieff

[spike]

Twentieth century philosophers in England fall into two groups. The bigger is the one whose members engage in analysing the meanings of words and the ways that we use them. While this is undoubtedly an important enterprise, it is often rather arid and does not touch on what is really significant to most people. Bryan Magee, in his Confessions of a Philosopher, compares them to men who spend all their time polishing their glasses, but never put them on their noses to look through them at the world. These philosophers tend to teach us cleverness.

I found this a good introduction because it mentions the niggling importance many member of the philosophical disciple put in "analysing the meanings of words and the ways that we use them". That kind of analyses doesn't help us understand the meaning of life or the workings of society. It seems a waste of time, such as the time that is wasted in the meaning of words like "we".

And what is meant by coattails, or is it goat tails?