Liberty Before LiberalismThis extended essay by one of the world's leading historians seeks, in its first part, to excavate, and to vindicate, the neo-Roman theory of free citizens and free states as it developed in early-modern Britain. This analysis leads on to a powerful defence of the nature, purposes and goals of intellectual history and the history of ideas. As Quentin Skinner says, 'the intellectual historian can help us to appreciate how far the values embodied in our present way of life, and our present ways of thinking about those values, reflect a series of choices made at different times between different possible worlds'. This essay thus provides one of the most substantial statements yet made about the importance, relevance and potential excitement of this form of historical enquiry. Liberty before Liberalism is based on Quentin Skinner's Inaugural Lecture as Regius Professor of Modern History in the University of Cambridge, delivered in November 1997. Professor Skinner has been awarded the Balzan Prize Life Time Achievement Award for Political Thought, History and Theory. Full details of this award can be found at http://www.balzan.it/News_eng.aspx?ID=2474 |
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action Algernon Sidney argued argument assumptions body politic Cambridge century Charles I's civil liberty claim classical liberal coerced coercive Collinson common commonwealthmen comune Concepts of Liberty condition of dependence constitutional constraint contrast critics David Wootton described Digest discussion Eikonoklastes England English English commonwealth essay example exercise freedom Geoffrey Elton Harrington 1992 Hobbes Hobbes's idea individual liberty insist intellectual historians James Harrington John John Milton kings later live Livy Lord Acton Machiavelli 1960 Marchamont Nedham means ment Milton monarchomach monarchy nation natural neo-roman theory neo-roman writers Neville obnoxious Oceana Osborne Paley Parker Parliament person Pettit Plato Redivivus Plautus Pocock political theory political thought potestate public liberty Quentin Skinner recognise republic republican Roman rulers Rump Parliament Sallust Scott servitude seventeenth-century Sidney's Skinner slavery slaves sovereignty speak Tacitus texts theorists theory of free theory of liberty tyranny Wirszubski 1960