 |
|
     |
|
|
|
Two very different evaluations of the Enlightenment appear in recent books. First from Robert Darnton, historian of the French Enlightenment, who, according to the reviewer in the October 6 TNR, devotes the first and most substantative essay in his recent book George Washington's False Teeth to defending the Enlightenment. The reviewer's summary: "Enlightenment was a cause that galvanized intellectuals committed to tolerance, skepticism, individuals, civil liberty, and cosmopolitanism, and that its values have proved to be the most potent defense against the various forms of inhumanity that we have experienced in our world." Rather quaint, that.
The second comes from a review of a spate of recent books on Jonathan Edwards, published in the October 20 issue of The Weekly Standard. Summarizing some of the points raised in George Marsden's biography, the reviewer argues that Edwards traditional Calvinism made him one of the most prescient critics of Enlightenment: "Because Edwards was nearly the only moral philosopher in the eighteenth century to deny natural human goodness, he was among the few to perceive that this dream [of establishing a universal system of morality that would bring an end to war] was not only empty but could lead to unimagined horrors."
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, October 19, 2003 at 09:41 PM
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
