Liberty Before Liberalism

This book, based on Quentin Skinner's 1997 Inaugural Lecture as Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge, explores the neo-Roman theory of liberty from early modern Britain, contrasting it with liberal notions of negative liberty.

It defends the value of intellectual history in understanding how current values reflect historical choices, critiquing modern presuppositions like those in Isaiah Berlin's work by highlighting threats from dependence and inequality rather than mere interference.