--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is, of course, an easy Berlinian…" description: "\"“This is, of course, an easy Berlinian riposte. Start with some graceful hand waving about incommensurability; declare that nothing could reconcile the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/kwame-anthony-appiah-25090_quote_this-is-of-course-an-easy-berlinian-ripo_866157.jpg" --- # This is, of course, an easy Berlinian riposte. Start with… ![“This is, of course, an easy Berlinian riposte. Start with some graceful hand waving about incommensurability; declare that nothing could reconcile these great goods; and (with a tip of trilby) commend liberal pluralism for living with the contradictions.” quote by Kwame Anthony Appiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/kwame-anthony-appiah-25090_quote_this-is-of-course-an-easy-berlinian-ripo_866157.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/kwame-anthony-appiah-25090_quote_this-is-of-course-an-easy-berlinian-ripo_866157.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/kwame-anthony-appiah-25090_quote_this-is-of-course-an-easy-berlinian-ripo_866157.jpg) > ““This is, of course, an easy Berlinian riposte. Start with some graceful hand waving about incommensurability; declare that nothing could reconcile these great goods; and (with a tip of trilby) commend liberal pluralism for living with the contradictions.”” [Kwame Anthony Appiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-anthony-appiah/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Liberal pluralism embraces contradictions, acknowledging that no single solution can reconcile all values. **In simple terms:** Pluralism accepts contradictions. Key Takeaway Embrace complexity in debates. Themes pluralism contradiction politics ethics Mood analytical nuanced Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy making - public discourse - academic debate - conflict resolution Key Concepts liberal theory incommensurability political philosophy Questions to Reflect On - When is compromise preferable to pluralism? - How to balance unity and diversity? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on contradiction can stall decisive action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [As a guide to engineering ethics, I should like to commend to you a liberal adaptation of the injunction contained in the oath of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyman-rickover/as-a-guide-to-engineering-ethics-i-should-like-to-commend-to-you-a/) [Hyman Rickover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyman-rickover/) ## More by Kwame Anthony Appiah > [There are many people of cosmopolitan temperament who are not from the elites of their societies or the world; and while, for a variety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-anthony-appiah/there-are-many-people-of-cosmopolitan-temperament-who-are-not-from/) [Kwame Anthony Appiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-anthony-appiah/) > [Cosmopolitans begin, I think, with a sense of one thing we all certainly share, which is our fallibility. 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But along the way I came to prize exploring the questions. 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