Interpreting the Enlightenment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3969494 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Harvey Chisick (Schlumberger (Ireland), corresponding author) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 35-57 |
| Publication date | 2008-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The European Legacy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1084-8770 • E-ISSN: 1470-1316 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10848770701830732 |
| OpenAlex | W2007863071 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
This article addresses a number of issues relevant to the interpretation of the Enlightenment raised by Jonathan Israel in his recent book, Enlightenment Contested. After a brief summary of the main points of the book it considers whether, as Israel claims, the core of the Enlightenment is a materialist monist metaphysic first fully articulated by Spinoza, and whether it is convincing to make materialism and atheism the main criteria of Enlightenment thought. The argument that Spinoza and Pierre Bayle should be seen as co-founders of the Enlightenment is also examined. The article further questions the cogency of the sharp distinction drawn between the moderate and radical wings of the movement, and seeks to determine whether the model of radicalism used by Israel has the consistency ascribed to it, whether it was as widely disseminated as claimed, and whether thinkers described as radical argued and wrote as Israel's model of radicalism would lead us to expect
Atheism · Enlightenment · Epistemology · Materialism · Political radicalism · Political science · Law · Medicine · Philosophy · Political Theology and Sovereignty · Religion and Society Interactions · Seventeenth-Century Political and Philosophical Thought
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,24 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2024 (16) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |