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 publication of the New Dictionary of the History of Ideas marks the return of a reference work that is an essential tool to make the often complex history of "what we think" accessible to students and general readers. The original 1974 Dictionary of the History of Ideas has long been admired as a landmark document encapsulating the thinking of an era. This thoroughly re-envisioned New Dictionary of the History of Ideas brings fresh intelligence and a global perspective to bear on timeless questions about the individual and society. A distinguished team of international scholars explore new thinking in areas previously covered (communism, linguistics, physics) and present cross-cultural perspectives on more recent topics such as postmodernism, deconstruction and post-colonialism.