Isaiah Berlin's Views On Freedom For The Wolves

“Freedom for the wolves has often meant death to the sheep.” Isaiah Berlin makes this statement that deals with a kind of freedom in the animal kingdom. Freedom can often be linked to justice because some will argue justice and freedom are codependent on each other, which to a certain extent it is true. However, most people tend to define justice as what is morally right for them. If that is the case, then it would come into conflict with someone else’s perception of justice. Therefore, that creates the idea that there is no such thing as a universal definition of justice or justice is equal for all. The quote reveals that there is imbalance of justice between parties, which in this case happens to be the wolves and sheep. Berlin’s quote is analogy for how society tends to go about with the concept of justice.

While on the other hand, the other party is the victor of the situation. There must be a way for both parties to get some sense of justice within the situation, in the best way to go about this is acquiring a sense of truth. Truth gives both parties equal grounds to stay on, and gives the psychological impression of fairness.William Shakespeare understands that there is this complexity in the idea of trying to achieve justice. He shows the complexity of this in one of his most famous plays, Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. The characterization of Claudius and Laertes, and the idea of revenge suggests the concept that trying to achieve one’s perceived notion of justice can be detrimental to all parties involved in the process. In order for society to acquire a sense of fairness in justice, they must be able to have a sense of truth. Having truth playing a role in finding justice puts ease on all parties. Because even though they might not get what they desire in the situation they know they had a fair chance just like the other