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The Enlightenment Kindle Edition
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPenguin
- Publication dateJune 28, 1990
- File size3211 KB
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Product details
- ASIN : B002RI9W34
- Publisher : Penguin; New Ed edition (June 28, 1990)
- Publication date : June 28, 1990
- Language : English
- File size : 3211 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 304 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,110,830 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #107 in Romania History
- #148 in History of Physics
- #638 in Turkey History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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The author argues that the Enlightenment emerged at the beginning of the 1700s, in the aftermath of Francis Bacon's development of the scientific method, Isaac Newton's advances in physics, and John Locke's work on human nature. Although difficult to precisely define, the Enlightenment was the intellectual period that covered most of the 18th Century in Europe and rejected traditional religion, folklore, superstition, and traditionalism as modes of knowledge, and in their place emphasized rationality, skepticism, and science.
Although the Enlightenment thinkers initially emphasized the role that a supreme being / god / providence must play in the universe, scientific advancements gradually reduced the need for god as an explanation. Interestingly, the author argues that geology was the scientific discipline that did the most to reduce the intellectual sway of religion, as geology showed that Noah's flood did not occur and the Earth was substantially older than the 6,000 years claimed by Biblical literalists.
However much they may have rejected traditional religion, the Enlightenment thinkers were still products of their era. Although they gradually lost the traditional belief that the world was static, they still held on to ideas of natural harmony. By the end of the 1700s, thinkers such as Rousseau were arguing that existing society had perverted natural harmony, but by looking within individuals could be guided by the natural inclination to what is right, and a just society would uplift and promote the individual's call to follow the universal conscience.
Interestingly, the author argues that the Enlightenment was not a major force in the French Revolution. Instead, the author argues that the increased number of European wars in the second half of the 1700s required monarchs to increase taxes on the aristocracy. This resulted in push back from the aristocrats, who sought to defend their traditional privileges and occasionally used Enlightenment thinkers to buttress their arguments. In France, social tensions exploded in the 1790s, and individuals from across the political spectrum made reference to Enlightenment ideals. However, the author argues that the Enlightenment thinkers were themselves primarily intellectuals, and were not especially focused on politics. Further, the Enlightenment thinkers tended toward a conservative view that existing society was naturally, justly ordered and that intellectualism and free thought belonged to a small upper class, not the masses. That said, the Enlightenment thinkers did view the upper class as consisting of more than just the hereditary nobility, and also capturing merchants and white-collar professionals.
I deduct one star because, while generally well-written, the author's explanations occasionally become muddled and hard to follow.
The book is divided into two sections: 1715 - 1740 and 1740 - 1789. The first half looks at the effects of the Scientific Revolution on European thought with specific attention given to Locke, Newton, Montesquieu and Voltaire; the second half examines Linneaus, Rousseau, Diderot, Smith and Kant. His summary and observations of these intellecutals is excellent - which, of course makes it difficult to convince readers to tackle their work first-hand.
It is not light reading, geared probably towards the serious student of history. But is is worthwhile, and it may in fact whet the reader's appetite for more.
At the end of the book, the author presents some adversaries of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. He simply calls Joseph de Maistre "mentally ill" (p.264), and don't take any of these persons serious. By reading this book, you will pass some hard time for reading a book that doesn't help you to understand the Enlightenment, nor the context.
Don't spill your money for this book. This work of Hampson hasn't any scientific value. I recommend all the works of Isaiah Berlin instead.