The Enlightenment : the pursuit of happiness, 1680-1790
(Book)
Author
Published
New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2021].
Format
Book
Edition
First U.S. edition.
ISBN
9780062410658, 0062410652
Physical Desc
xxii, 984 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Status
Florham Park Library - Adult Nonfiction
940.25 ROBERTSON
1 available
940.25 ROBERTSON
1 available
Description
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More Details
Published
New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2021].
Edition
First U.S. edition.
Language
English
ISBN
9780062410658, 0062410652
Notes
General Note
"Originally published in Great Britain in 2020 by Allen Lane"--Title page verso.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 893-925) and index.
Description
A magisterial history that recasts the Enlightenment as a period not solely consumed with rationale and reason, but rather as a pursuit of practical means to achieve greater human happiness. One of the formative periods of European and world history, the Enlightenment is the fountainhead of modern secular Western values: religious tolerance, freedom of thought, speech and the press, of rationality and evidence-based argument. Yet why, over three hundred years after it began, is the Enlightenment so profoundly misunderstood as controversial, the expression of soulless calculation? The answer may be that, to an extraordinary extent, we have accepted the account of the Enlightenment given by its conservative enemies: that enlightenment necessarily implied hostility to religion or support for an unfettered free market, or that this was "the best of all possible worlds." Ritchie Robertson goes back into the "long eighteenth century," from approximately 1680 to 1790, to reveal what this much-debated period was really about. Robertson returns to the era's original texts to show that above all, the Enlightenment was really about increasing human happiness in this world rather than the next by promoting scientific inquiry and reasoned argument. In so doing Robertson chronicles the campaigns mounted by some Enlightened figures against evils like capital punishment, judicial torture, serfdom and witchcraft trials, featuring the experiences of major figures like Voltaire and Diderot alongside ordinary people who lived through this extraordinary moment. In answering the question "What is Enlightenment?" in 1784, Kant famously urged men and women above all to "have the courage to use your own intellect." Robertson shows how the thinkers of the Enlightenment did just that, seeking a well-rounded understanding of humanity in which reason was balanced with emotion and sensibility. Drawing on philosophy, theology, historiography and literature across the major western European languages, 'The Enlightenment' is a master-class in big picture history about the foundational epoch of modern times.
Language
Includes quotations in French, German, or Italian, most with English translation.
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Florham Park Library - Adult Nonfiction | 940.25 ROBERTSON | Available |
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Bernards Township Library - Adult Nonfiction | 909 ROB | Available |
Chatham Borough-Chatham Township Library - Adult Nonfiction | 909 ROB | Available |
Denville Library - Adult Nonfiction | 909.7 ROB | Available |
Kinnelon Library - Adult Nonfiction | 190 ROBERTSON | Available |
Morris County Library - Adult Nonfiction | 909 ROB | Available |
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Robertson, R. (2021). The Enlightenment: the pursuit of happiness, 1680-1790 (First U.S. edition.). Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Robertson, Ritchie. 2021. The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness, 1680-1790. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Robertson, Ritchie. The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness, 1680-1790 Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2021.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Robertson, Ritchie. The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness, 1680-1790 First U.S. edition., Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2021.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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