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The Enlightenment

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The Enlightenment

By: Kieron O'Hara
Narrated by: Deidre Rubenstein
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About this listen

 The Enlightenment has been nothing if not divisive, being blamed for bloody disasters – Auschwitz, the gulags, Islamic terrorism – as well as being heralded as the harbinger of reason and equality. To this day historians disagree over when it was, where it was, and what it was (or whether it still is). Kieron O’Hara deftly traverses these conflicts, presenting the history, ideology, culture, and social life of the Enlightenment – not as a simple set of easily enumerated ideas, but an evolving conglomerate that spawned a very diverse set of thinkers, from the radical Rousseau to the conservative Burke.©2010 Kieron O'Hara (P)2012 Bolinda Publishing Philosophy World

Editor reviews

The ideals of the Enlightenment are both controversial and, frequently, poorly understood. This introduction to the Enlightenment from noted philosopher and computer scientist Kieron O'Hara provides a digestible survey of this sprawling revolution of ideas. A confident and composed narration by AFI Best Actress winner Deidre Rubenstein brings polish to this audiobook, and audiences will find her reading of O'Hara's concise volume highly listenable. From a history of the Enlightenment's ideas and basic principles up to its present-day legacy, this audiobook will provide listeners a basic understanding of a very complex cultural movement.

Critic reviews

“O'Hara provides readers with an introduction to the Enlightenment that is thorough without ever being forbidding and shows a keen appreciation of the dilemmas and controversies that surround the enlightened inheritance.” (Dan Hind, author of The Threat to Reason: How the Enlightenment Was Hijacked and How We Can Reclaim It)
“This is an engaging and highly readable introduction to one of the most important intellectual developments in the history of Western culture.” (Matthew Humphrey, Reader in Political Philosophy, University of Nottingham)
“Lively and erudite. This is an excellent, and for its length remarkably comprehensive, starting place for approaching the Enlightenment.” (Penny Fielding, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, University of Edinburgh)
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