The Kingdom of Darkness

This book chronicles the decline of speculative philosophy in Europe and reinterprets the contributions of Pierre Bayle and Isaac Newton, highlighting their roles in shaping modern knowledge.

In The Kingdom of Darkness, Dmitri Levitin provides a compelling exploration of early modern European intellectual history, focusing on the pivotal figures of Pierre Bayle and Isaac Newton. The narrative outlines how speculative philosophy, once central to European thought around 1500, gradually lost its prominence by 1700. This decline is intricately connected to the evolving landscape of knowledge, where natural philosophy began to separate from metaphysical concerns, and theologians increasingly favored philological approaches over philosophical ones.

Levitin delves into the structural factors that contributed to this significant transformation. He examines how historical and oriental scholarship influenced the understanding of the human mind's limitations, particularly in relation to ideas from China and Japan. This shift not only shaped the intellectual environment of the time but also framed the contributions of Bayle and Newton. Both thinkers emerged as products of this changing landscape, yet they also played crucial roles in facilitating its evolution.

Ultimately, The Kingdom of Darkness presents a genealogical vision of how philosophy was perceived as corrupting the human mind, a notion articulated by Thomas Hobbes. Bayle and Newton's efforts to combat this perceived corruption laid the groundwork for the new system of knowledge that emerged in the eighteenth century. Through meticulous research and analysis, Levitin offers fresh interpretations of these influential figures, shedding light on their lasting impact on Western thought.