Isaiah Berlin Quote 

"All forms of tampering with human beings, getting at them,
shaping them against their will to your own pattern,
all thought control and conditioning is, therefore,
a denial of that in men which makes them men and their values ultimate."

by:
Isaiah Berlin
(1909-1997)
Source:
Two Concepts of Liberty, 1958
Categories:
 
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Reader comments about this quote:
I can guess what our drug-abusing faction might say, but despite his fame and talent, Berlin is suffering from a mental disorder due to which he is incapable of seeing that some behaviors really should not be tolerated.
 -- David L. Rosenthal, Hollywood		 
Huh? Well, let's just call out the behavior police then, shall we? It's a bit like the old (and tired) joke asking why certain religious sects prohibit sex while standing upright; It could lead to dancing.
 -- Terry Berg, Occidental, CA		 
Oh my! "fame and talent"? I have an uneasy feeling there's been (just perhaps) some confusion between Isaiah Berlin and Irving Berlin. Geez I hope I'm wrong. ROFL
 -- Terry Berg, Occidental, CA		 
 -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US 
Terry, very good! It has continued since the day we stepped out of the caves - we are manipulated by religion, governement, despots, and anyone that wants control over another (I love the line 'All forms of tampering with human beings...') The vast majority allow the tampering - it's easy; I have food on the table and a good job; go ahead and tamper as much as you like...
 -- RobertSRQ		 
Government has no business in social engineering. None.
 -- J Carlton, Calgary		 
The War on Drugs comes to mind. To see the horrors of this manipulation, check out this web site, LEAP.CC
 -- jim k, austin,tx		 
Ahh yes, it is the thought police, social engineers, and man molders that are antagonists to Berlin's two concepts of liberty.
 -- Mike, Norwalk		 
Mom and Dad started tampering and controlling me the day I was born, teaching me their languague and stuff and then came school and Lordy, Lordy a wife. I've been tampered with all my life, what is human being suppose to do?
 -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas		 
Waffler, I think your folks are ethically and naturally bound to "socially engineer" their boy. Its called parenthood. But not so the government. Still, point taken.
 -- J Carlton, Calgary		 
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
 -- E Archer, NYC		 
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