intellectual history

A conversation about the Cold War’s profound and negative influence on the liberal worldview.

The more that historians make their own experiences an explicit part of their work, the harder it will become to let the sources speak clearly.

An interview with Sean Wilentz on Library of America's new collection of Richard Hofstadter's works.

A new book systematically defends the American Founding against those who believe it was destined to end in nihilism.

Michael Kimmage considers "The Ideas That Made America: A Brief History" by Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen.

How should we interpret the United States Constitution?

Historians often treat Miller as a foil, but the Father of American Intellectual history retains untapped potential to inspire new modes of inquiry.

Does recognizing the importance of conservatism in the twentieth century make us see the arc of American history in a new way?

A look back at the historian's work suggests that contemporary radicals may be all too invested in the myth of American consensus.

An intellectual history of inequality in economic theory reveals the ideological reasons behind the field’s resurgence in the last few decades.

A conversation with Jill Lepore about the past decade — “a time that felt like a time, felt like history.”

The strange and contradicting development of the liberal version of egalitarianism.

His “Clash of Civilizations” essay in Foreign Affairs turned 30 this year. It was provocative, influential, manna for the modern right—and completely and utterly not true.

There are certainly good grounds to criticize Cold War liberalism. But Samuel Moyn's new book, like similar critiques, has a classic baby-bathwater problem.

How Cold War liberalism abandoned the vocabulary of hope—and how we still live with the consequences.

In “Liberalism Against Itself,” Samuel Moyn stresses the need to resuscitate an earlier and more rousing wave of thinkers.

Why did Chicago become the headquarters of free market fundamentalism? Adam Smith offers a clue.

As a movement, it has imploded. As a credo, it’s here to stay.

Exploring recent debates about the uses–and utility–of Black history in both the academic and public spheres.

How conservatives made him their icon and distorted his ideas.