George Boas (1891-1980) is the first of nine contributors to this volume. Boas was a professor of philosophy at Johns Hopkins University for over thirty years, a Guggenheim fellow, and a central figure in the Journal of the History of Ideas and the fabled History of Ideas Club.

Born in 1891 in Providence, Rhode Island, George Boas taught for many years at Johns Hopkins and was editor of the Journal of the History of Ideas from 1945 until his death in 1980. He authored 24 books, including The Major Traditions of English Philosophy, The Greek Tradition: A Symposium, Rationalism in Greek Philosophy, The Limits of Reason, and The History of Ideas: An Introduction.