Quentin Skinner is one of the most celebrated intellectual historians of the past half-century. In his latest book, Liberty as Independence, the historian attempts to revive an older, republican form of liberty that directly challenges the negative liberty that the West has embraced for generations if not decades. We are pleased to publish two reviews of this new work by two prominent intellectual historians: Max Skjönsberg and Aaron N. Coleman. Each applaud Skinner’s attempted revival, but question his application.
Quentin Skinner’s notion of liberty has more in common with the liberalism he attacks than he may wish.
Quentin Skinner’s book is a powerful reminder of the old adage that “no cause is ever lost because no cause is ever really won."