Robinson, James Harvey (1863-1936), was an American historian and educator. He was a pioneer in the field of intellectual history, which traces the influence of creative thinking on human development. Robinson was concerned with the relation of ideas to social reform. He explored that theme in his best-known book, The Mind in the Making (1921). Robinson wrote many other books, including The New History (1912) and The Humanizing of Knowledge (1924). These two books stress the importance of thinking about social and scientific developments and about political and economic events.
Robinson was born in Bloomington, Illinois. He received B.A. and M.A. degrees from Harvard University and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Freiburg in Germany. Robinson taught history at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. In 1919, he helped found the New School for Social Research.
