A Revolution of the Mind : Radical Enlightenment and the Intellectual Origins of Modern Democracy

Democracy, free thought and expression, religious tolerance, individual liberty, political self-determination of peoples, sexual and racial equality--these values have firmly entered the mainstream in the decades since they were enshrined in the 1948 U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. But if these ideals no longer seem radical today, their origin was very radical indeed--far more so than most historians have been willing to recognize. In __A Revolution of the Mind__, Jonathan Israel, one of the world's leading historians of the Enlightenment, traces the philosophical roots of these ideas to what were the least respectable strata of Enlightenment thought--what he calls the Radical Enlightenment. Originating as a clandestine movement of ideas that was almost entirely hidden from public view during its earliest phase, the Radical Enlightenment matured in opposition to the moderate mainstream Enlightenment dominant in Europe and America in the eighteenth century. During the revolutionary decades of the 1770s, 1780s, and 1790s, the Radical Enlightenment burst into the open, only to provoke a long and bitter backlash. __A Revolution of the Mind__ shows that this vigorous opposition was mainly due to the powerful impulses in society to defend the principles of monarchy, aristocracy, empire, and racial hierarchy--principles linked to the upholding of censorship, church authority, social inequality, racial segregation, religious discrimination, and far-reaching privilege for ruling groups. In telling this fascinating history, __A Revolution of the Mind__ reveals the surprising origin of our most cherished values--and helps explain why in certain circles they are frequently disapproved of and attacked even today. A leading historian reveals the radical origins of humanity's most cherished secular values Democracy, free thought and expression, religious tolerance, individual liberty, political self-determination of peoples, sexual and racial equality - these values have firmly entered the mainstream in the decades since they were enshrined in the 1948 U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. But if these ideals no longer seem radical today, their origin was very radical indeed - far more so than most historians have been willing to recognize. In A Revolution of the Mind , Jonathan Israel, one of the world's leading historians of the Enlightenment, traces the philosophical roots of these ideas to what were the least respectable strata of Enlightenment thought - what he calls the Radical Enlightenment. Originating as a clandestine movement of ideas that was almost entirely hidden from public view during its earliest phase, the Radical Enlightenment matured in opposition to the moderate mainstream Enlightenment dominant in Europe and America in the eighteenth century. During the revolutionary decades of the 1770s, 1780s, and 1790s, the Radical Enlightenment burst into the open, only to provoke a long and bitter backlash. A Revolution of the Mind shows that this vigorous opposition was mainly due to the powerful impulses in society to defend the principles of monarchy, aristocracy, empire, and racial hierarchy - principles linked to the upholding of censorship, church authority, social inequality, racial segregation, religious discrimination, and far-reaching privilege for ruling groups. In telling this fascinating history, A Revolution of the Mind reveals the surprising origin of our most cherished values - and helps explain why in certain circles they are frequently disapproved of and attacked even today.

Democracy, free thought and expression, religious tolerance, individual liberty, political self-determination of peoples, sexual and racial equality—these values have firmly entered the mainstream in the decades since they were enshrined in the 1948 U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. But if these ideals no longer seem radical today, their origin was very radical indeed—far more so than most historians have been willing to recognize. In A Revolution of the Mind, Jonathan Israel, one of the world's leading historians of the Enlightenment, traces the philosophical roots of these ideas to what were the least respectable strata of Enlightenment thought—what he calls the Radical Enlightenment.

Originating as a clandestine movement of ideas that was almost entirely hidden from public view during its earliest phase, the Radical Enlightenment matured in opposition to the moderate mainstream Enlightenment dominant in Europe and America in the eighteenth century. During the revolutionary decades of the 1770s, 1780s, and 1790s, the Radical Enlightenment burst into the open, only to provoke a long and bitter backlash. A Revolution of the Mind shows that this vigorous opposition was mainly due to the powerful impulses in society to defend the principles of monarchy, aristocracy, empire, and racial hierarchy—principles linked to the upholding of censorship, church authority, social inequality, racial segregation, religious discrimination, and far-reaching privilege for ruling groups.

In telling this fascinating history, A Revolution of the Mind reveals the surprising origin of our most cherished values—and helps explain why in certain circles they are frequently disapproved of and attacked even today.

"Democracy, free thought and expression, religious tolerance, individual liberty, political self-determination of peoples, sexual and racial equality - these values have firmly entered the mainstream in the decades since they were enshrined in the 1948 U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. But if these ideals no longer seem radical today, their origin was very radical indeed - far more so than most historians have been willing to recognize. In A Revolution of the Mind, Jonathan Israel, one of the world's leading historians of the Enlightenment, traces the philosophical roots of these ideas to what were the least respectable strata of Enlightenment thought - what he calls the Radical Enlightenment. Originating as a clandestine movement of ideas that was almost entirely hidden from public view during its earliest phase, the Radical Enlightenment matured in opposition to the moderate mainstream Enlightenment dominant in Europe and America in the eighteenth century. During the revolutionary decades of the 1770s, 1780s, and 1790s, the Radical Enlightenment burst into the open, only to provoke a long and bitter backlash. A Revolution of the Mind shows that this vigorous opposition was mainly due to the powerful impulses in society to defend the principles of monarchy, aristocracy, empire, and racial hierarchy - principles linked to the upholding of censorship, church authority, social inequality, racial segregation, religious discrimination, and far-reaching privilege for ruling groups. In telling this history, A Revolution of the Mind reveals the surprising origin of our most cherished values - and helps explain why in certain circles they are frequently disapproved of and attacked even today."--Jacket Jonathan Israel, autor de la trilogía Radical Enlightment (2001), Enlightenment Contested (2006) y Democratic Enlightenment (2011), una monumental obra que ha revolucionado la interpretación de la Ilustración, nos ofrece en este libro una síntesis de sus ideas. En Una revolución de la mente, Israel saca a la luz la importancia de los autores de la Ilustración radical (Diderot, Holbach, Helvétius, etc.), su decisiva influencia en las revoluciones subsiguientes (norteamericana, francesa, etc.) y su enorme aportación a la configuración de las ideas democráticas del mundo moderno. Nuestras ideas. "Esta 'revolución de la mente' de las décadas de 1760 y 1770 fue sencillamente -afirma el autor- uno de los cambios más grandes y decisivos de toda la historia de la humanidad". Jonathan Israel (Londres, 1946) es profesor de historia moderna en el Instituto de Estudios Avanzados de Princeton y probablemente el más destacado estudioso actual de la Ilustración. Es autor de más de 15 títulos, mucho de ellos sobre la Holanda de los siglos XVII y XVIII, y su obra capital es la trilogía mencionada. Hay traducción castellana de su libro Radical Enlightenment (La Ilustración radical, Fondo de Cultura Económica). En 2014 Jonathan Israel publicó un gran libro que es continuación lógica de los anteriores: Revolutionary Ideas. An Intellectual History of the French Revolution from The Rights of Man to Robespierre. Una revolución de la mente está basado en unas conferencias pronunciadas en Oxford en 2008 en memoria de Isaiah Berlin Democracy, Free Thought And Expression, Religious Tolerance, Individual Liberty, Political Self-determination Of Peoples, Sexual And Racial Equality--these Values Have Firmly Entered The Mainstream In The Decades Since They Were Enshrined In The 1948 U.n. Declaration Of Human Rights. But If These Ideals No Longer Seem Radical Today, Their Origin Was Very Radical Indeed--far More So Than Most Historians Have Been Willing To Recognize. In A Revolution Of The Mind, Jonathan Israel, One Of The World's Leading Historians Of The Enlightenment, Traces The Philosophical Roots Of These Ideas To What We. Progress And The Enlightenment's Two Conflicting Ways Of Improving The World -- Democracy Or Social Hierarchy? : The Political Rift -- The Problem Of Equality And Inequality : The Rise Of Economics -- The Enlightenment's Critique Of War And The Quest For Perpetual Peace -- Two Kinds Of Moral Philosophy In Conflict -- Voltaire Versus Spinoza : The Enlightenment As A Basic Duality Of Philosophical Systems -- Conclusion. Jonathan Israel. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. 0691142009,9780691142005 Princeton University Press Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Preface 9 CHAPTER I: Progress and the Enlightenment’s Two Con.icting Ways of Improving the World 19 CHAPTER II: Democracy or Social Hierarchy? The Political Rift 55 CHAPTER III: The Problem of Equality and Inequality: The Rise of Economics 110 CHAPTER IV: The Enlightenment’s Critique of War and the Quest for “Perpetual Peace” 142 CHAPTER V: Two Kinds of Moral Philosophy in Con.ict 172 CHAPTER VI: Voltaire versus Spinoza: The Enlightenment as a Basic Duality of Philosophical Systems 217 CHAPTER VII: Conclusion 239 Notes 261 Index 285 A 285 B 285 C 286 D 287 E 287 F 287 G 288 H 288 I 289 J 289 K 289 L 290 M 290 N 290 O 291 P 291 Q 291 R 291 S 292 T 293 U 293 V 293 W 294 Y 294