The Science of Freedom completes Peter Gay's brilliant reinterpretation begun in The Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Paganism. In the present book, he describes the philosophes' program and their views of society. His masterful appraisal opens a new range of insights into the Enlightenment's critical method and its humane and libertarian vision.
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IN THE CENTURY OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT, educated Europeans awoke to a new sense of life. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
IN THE CENTURY OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT, educated Europeans awoke to a new sense of life. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The Enlightenment by Peter Gay (2 volumes: The Rise of Modern Paganism and The Science of Freedom) surely ranks among the most brilliant accounts of eighteenth-century philosophy ever written. It is a sweeping account of the intellectual history of the 18th century, form its origins right into the French and American Revolutions. It traces the struggle of the small clique of 'philosophes' -a dispersed group of intellectual giants such as Voltaire, Hume, Lessing and Beccaria- as they fight against corruption, superstition and ignorance, which has kept Europe slumbering since the demise of the Roman Empire. The book vividly illustrates the ideas of the 'philosophes' and how they wanted to bring their reform programs into practice, and thereby spread the ideals of liberty and the pursuit of knowledge. Peter Gay deftly describes the cultural background of the 'philosophes' and explains how they came to challenge the establishment in order to bringing about these much needed changes so as to give their ideals a chance to prevail. The book has an extensive and well-readable bibliography with many good suggestions. This account of the Enlightenment is among the best ever written in the twentieth century, along with Paul Hazard's European Thought in the 18th century and Ernst Cassirer's The Philosophy of the Enlightenment. I do recommend all to read both volumes of this book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
135 of 143 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most brilliant account of the Enlightenment
13 Mar 1999
By W.T. Oosterveld
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The Enlightenment by Peter Gay (2 volumes: The Rise of Modern Paganism and The Science of Freedom) surely ranks among the most brilliant accounts of eighteenth-century philosophy ever written. It is a sweeping account of the intellectual history of the 18th century, form its origins right into the French and American Revolutions. It traces the struggle of the small clique of 'philosophes' -a dispersed group of intellectual giants such as Voltaire, Hume, Lessing and Beccaria- as they fight against corruption, superstition and ignorance, which has kept Europe slumbering since the demise of the Roman Empire. The book vividly illustrates the ideas of the 'philosophes' and how they wanted to bring their reform programs into practice, and thereby spread the ideals of liberty and the pursuit of knowledge. Peter Gay deftly describes the cultural background of the 'philosophes' and explains how they came to challenge the establishment in order to bringing about these much needed changes so as to give their ideals a chance to prevail. The book has an extensive and well-readable bibliography with many good suggestions. This account of the Enlightenment is among the best ever written in the twentieth century, along with Paul Hazard's European Thought in the 18th century and Ernst Cassirer's The Philosophy of the Enlightenment. I do recommend all to read both volumes of this book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enlightenment.
22 Aug 2010
By Don Artz
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I picked up a copy of Peter Gay's Enlightenment as a discard from our public library. It was a terrific book, but I noticed it was "Volume 1." So I had to go to Amazon to find volume 2 (They are not labeled as volume 1 or 2, they have different subtitles.) It, too was fine, better than fine. This is history writing at its best - great accomplishment for Peter Gay.
Don
Don
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Comprehensive, Difficult Read
8 April 2011
By C. Martin
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This is NOT a book you will sit down and read. It is very difficult to understand, the author is a subject matter expert, but wordy, difficult to read and comprehend but if taken in bits it is an excellent resource.
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4.8 out of 5 stars
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