Introduction: Populism and the significance of the intellectual virtues

Abstract

This chapter provides an introduction to the subject of the volume, making an initial case for the importance of thinking about the intellectual virtues with respect to populism specifically and political movements more broadly. The chapter briefly surveys the history of populism, social scientific approaches to populism, and contemporary approaches to intellectual virtues. It then lays out some of the areas of intersection between the study of populism and applied virtue theory and provides an overview to the structure and content of the volume.