Wilhelm von Humboldt's classic study of human language was first published in 1836, as a general introduction to his three-volume treatise on the Kawi language of Java. It is the final statement of his lifelong study of the nature of language, exploring its universal structures and its relation to m[...]
This text is important both as one of the most interesting contributions to the liberalism of the German Enlightenment, and as the most significant source for the ideas which John Stuart Mill popularized in his essay On Liberty. Humboldt's concern is to define the criteria by which the permissible l[...]
The Limits of State Action, by "Germany's greatest philosopher of freedom," as F. A. Hayek called him, has an exuberance and attention to principle that make it a valuable introduction to classical liberal political thought. It is also crucial for an understanding of liberalism as it developed in Eu[...]
Immer wieder unerwartet geschieht es, daß aus den Lagerhallen der Geschichte geistiger Sprengstoff zutage gefördert wird, der, lange fast vergessen, nun plötzlich allgemeines Aufsehen erregt und aktuelle Bedeutung findet. Eine bleiche, vornehme Denkmalsfigur nimmt wieder Fleisch und Blut an, stei[...]
Att påstå att Wilhelm von Humboldts Om gränserna för statens verksamhet är en central text inom den europeiska idéhistorien är knappast en överdrift, kvarstår dock bara att slå fast för vilka och i vilket avseende. von Humboldt var nämligen lika mycket statsman, humanist, filosof, lingvi[...]