intellectual life

A collection of eighty essays which span the career of author Jacques Barzun.

What are the origins of the concepts under which we organize societies, create institutions and think about our lives? Where did the concept of God or equal rights or democracy come from? How does one idea influence another? Such questions fuel debates, speeches, papers and assignments in history classes, school speaking competitions, ethics classes and more. The significance of the featured concepts across cultures and eras is explored.

Chronicles the history of thought in the twentieth century, beginning with four topics introduced in 1900--the unconscious, the gene, the quantum, and Picasso's first paintings in Paris--and covering the major artists, writers, philosophers, and scientists that shaped the next hundred years and the way people think in the modern world.

A collection of more than two hundred manifestos from a wide range of countries and cultures.

A guide to the key concepts of the last 250 years.

Presents 1,001 thoughts and ideas that influenced the world from ancient to contemporary times.

"Genius. The word connotes an almost unworldly power: the power to create, to grasp universal secrets, even to destroy. As renowned intellectual historian Darrin McMahon explains in Divine Fury, the concept of genius can be traced back to antiquity, when men of great insight were thought to be advised by demons. The modern idea of genius emerged in tension with a growing belief in human equality; contesting the notion that all are created equal, geniuses served to dramatize the exception of extraordinary individuals not governed by ordinary laws. Today, the idea of genius has become cheapened-rock stars and football coaches earn the term with seemingly the same ease as astrophysicists and philosophers-yet our enduring fascination with it reflects the desires, needs, and fears of ordinary human beings. The first comprehensive history of this mysterious yet foundational concept, Divine Fury follows the fortunes of genius from Socrates to Napoleon to Einstein and beyond, analyzing its democratization, disappearance, and potential rebirth."--.

Traces the history of ideas from antiquity to the present, describing some of history's most influential and important ideas and explaining how they may have their origins in prehistoric times.

Chronicles the history of thought in the twentieth century, beginning with four topics introduced in 1900--the unconscious, the gene, the quantum, and Picasso's first paintings in Paris--and covering the major artists, writers, philosophers, and scientists that shaped the next hundred years and the way people think in the modern world.