The Hedgehog and the Fox

Topic

The Hedgehog and the Fox is an influential 1953 essay by philosopher Isaiah Berlin that divides thinkers and writers into two categories based on an ancient Greek parable: hedgehogs, who view the world through the lens of a single defining idea, and foxes, who draw on a wide variety of experiences and ideas. Berlin uses this framework to analyze Leo Tolstoy's view of history, suggesting that Tolstoy was by nature a fox but believed in being a hedgehog.