ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the history of philosophy and examines the activities and ideas of its practitioners. The task of writing a history of the mind seems perfectly suited for historians of philosophy: the study of the mind has traditionally been within the realm of philosophy; among philosophers the most historically inclined are the historians of philosophy. Philosophy as a whole played a crucial role both in secondary and higher education, and the history of philosophy was considered a very important part of philosophy in higher education and research. The importance of inherited social capital for access to higher education has been a topic of intense research and discussion for decades. Lon Brunschvicg, in an article on philosophy in higher education in France, wrote that an interest in history was a specific trait of philosophy at the Sorbonne, which of course was by far the most important higher-education institution in the country.
