“The notion that one can discover large patterns or regularities in the procession of historical events is naturally attractive to those who are impressed by the success of the natural sciences in classifying, correlating, and above all predicting.”
Five Essays on Liberty (2002), Historical Inevitability (1954)
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Isaiah Berlin30
Russo-British Jewish social and political theorist, philoso… 1909–1997Related quotes
Emma Goldman (1868–1940) anarchist known for her political activism, writing, and speeches
The Philosophy of Atheism (1916)
Albert Nolan (1934) South African priest and activist
Source: Jesus Before Christianity: The Gospel of Liberation (1976), p. 33.
Context: Miracles are very often thought of, both by those who believe in them and by those who do not, as events, or purported events, that contradict the laws of nature and that therefore cannot be explained by science or reason. But this is not at all what the Bible means by a miracle, as any Biblical scholar will tell you. “The laws of nature” is a modern scientific concept. The Bible knows nothing about nature, let alone the laws of nature.
Alan O. Ebenstein (1959) American political scientist, educator and author
Hayek's Journey: The Mind of Friedrich Hayek (2003)
Martin Gardner (1914–2010) recreational mathematician and philosopher
"The Laffer Curve", Knotted Doughnuts and other Mathematical Entertainments (1986)
Context: Ideologues of all persuasions think they know how the economy will respond to the Administration's strange mixture of Lafferism and monetarism. Indeed, their self-confidence is so vast, and their ability to rationalize so crafty, that one cannot imagine a scenario for the next few years, that they would regard as falsifying their dogma. The failure of any prediction can always be blamed on quirky political decisions or unforeseen historical events.
Eugene Rotberg (1930)
“'The only perfect hedge is a Japanese garden': Speech to the National Association of Corporate Treasurers." http://www.generotberg.com/speeches/1990s/The%20Only%20Perfect%20Hedge%20is%20a%20Japanese%20Garden.pdf. (1990)
Friedrich Hayek (1899–1992) Austrian and British economist and Nobel Prize for Economics laureate
1980s and later, Knowledge, Evolution and Society (1983), "Coping with Ignorance", "The Reactionary Nature of the Socialist Conception"
György Lukács book History and Class Consciousness
Source: History and Class Consciousness (1968), p. 47