The Enlightenment

deep and thought-provoking argument for how the enlightenment still affects modern social and political thought. There is so much information packed into in these pages, yet its well-organised, meticulously referenced and presented so masterfully that the book is a pleasure to read. I think those who enjoy reading about philosophy and history will enjoy this book, as will those who seek to gain a deeper understanding the philosophical, political, and social development and dominance of the modern Western World. * Guardian, GrrlScientist *
Deftly revealing how bold thinkers chucked out the lumber of millennia, Pagden throws up contemporary resonances on page after page. * Independent (Radar Magazine) *
Learned eloquent and at times passionate. * Keith Thomas, New York Review of Books *
Book of the Week * The Sunday Telegraph *
Both Pagden's retelling of the Enlightenment story, and his defence of cosmopolitanism, are cogent and important. * The Independent *
[E]legant and wide-ranging. * Jonathan Israel, TLS *
The grand architecture of [Pagden's] argument is finely ornamented with nuance and qualification. * Colin Kidd, London Review of Books *
Pagden writes beautifully and has a wonderful eye for apt quotations, many of which eloquently capture the spirit of the Enlightenment literati. * History Today *
The Enlightenment is a spirited and engaging polemic directed against the recourse to fundamentalism in modern history. * Richard Bourke, Literary Review *
With religion resurgent across the world - complaining of oppression at every turn - the Enlightenment project, never completed, is at risk again. As this eloquent and thrilling book makes clear, its enemies might care to explain why it happened in the first place. * Ian Bell, The Glasgow Herald *
Written with exemplary clarity, [this book] exposes the classical roots of the critical attack on religious traditions, and explores new discourses around a scientific study of humanity...While Pagden pauses to consider the dark side of Enlightenment ideas, the power of the book lies in its lucid exposition of optimistic thinking, from Condorcet's conceptual history to Hume's brutal attack on organised religion as "sick men's dreams". If one wanted a handbook of optimism, Pagden's work would be a set text. * BBC History Magazine *
A sensationally good piece of cultural and intellectual history reminds us how the 'Western' view of the world came into existence and why it's worth defending. It does still matter * Oxford Today *
The Enlightenment really does still matter, and with a combination of gripping storytelling about colourful characters and lucid explanation of profound ideas, Anthony Pagden shows why. * Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature and The Blank Slate *
Reading Anthony Pagden's The Enlightenment: And Why It Still Matters is an enlightenment in itself. The larger-than-life thinkers and talkers of eighteenth-century Europe have been blamed for everything from taking the magic out of life to making Auschwitz possible, but here, in sparkling style, Pagden shows us not only how their ideas made mankind modern but also what our world might have been like without them. Everyone interested in where the West came from should read this book. * Ian Morris, author of Why the West Rules-For Now *
Anthony Pagden defends the Enlightenment as a cosmopolitan project with classical roots and contemporary relevance. Like Kant, he argues that we live in an age of enlightenment, ongoing but incomplete, but that someday we will experience a fully enlightened age. His lucid and learned book might help to realize that hope. * David Armitage, author of Foundations of Modern International Thought *
Pagden demonstrates the breadth and depth of his knowledge and his impeccable research of the period we refer to as the Enlightenment A book that should be on every thinking person's shelf-the perfect primer for anyone interested in the development of Western civilization. * Kirkus Reviews *