The aim of this activity is to bring together Faculty members, graduate students and advanced undergraduate students from different disciplines to read and discuss books that have left a significant mark in the social sciences and humanities. This reading group is the opportunity to join us in a collective effort to read great works more closely and to partake in a productive interdisciplinary dialogue.

This year we are turning our attention to a more recent “classic” of the social sciences: Isaiah Berlin. Famous for his essays such as “Two Concepts of Liberty” and “The Hedgehog and the Fox”, Berlin has become a reference when reflecting on liberty and value pluralism.

For the first session, we will discuss Isaiah Berlin’s essay entitled “The Pursuit of the Ideal” (you can find a PDF copy online: http://assets.press.princeton.edu/chapters/s9983.pdf).

Students and Faculty members from other disciplines in the social sciences and humanities are welcome to participate. Please email sophie.marcottechenard@carleton.ca to receive a PDF copy of the texts under study.