What is Intellectual History?

This subject covers such a wide interdisciplinary field that it almost defies definition and is associated in the popular mind primarily with philosophy and political thought. Ideas are historical forces that both shape and are shaped by societies and history. This book acts as a primer to the field, covering as it does the identity, history, method, practice and relevance of intellectual history. It discusses a vast range of thinkers including Rousseau, Hume, Sir Isaiah Berlin, Arthur Lovejoy, RG Collingwood, Quentin Skinner and John Pocock. It will be of particular interest to readers engaged with the history of ideas.