The essays in this volume, Sapere Aude: The Future of the Humanities in British Universities, stem from a lectures series delivered at the premises of the British Academy in London, arranged by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for public benefit, a private foundation based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The aim of publishing these essays is to highlight the importance of the contributions of the humanities to current affairs and debate. This volume takes as its point of departure debates about the study of history. The rest of the volume deals with a number of themes deemed important, characteristic and relevant to the future of the humanities: the study of languages, the value of the humanities, philosophy, the Classics and the history of political thought.