.....Some commentators today refer to the Enlightenment as the period in which the modern world was created - through a new language of rights and sovereignty. Others claim that the Enlightenment promised more than it could ever have delivered - and so blame it for the problems we face today. Bring an open mind to this course, and reach your own conclusion! A great need to understand, to apply reason, to learn how to use scientific method drove the movement forward - and it was a movement. Different countries all produced their own, slightly different "enlightenments". Having examined the principal expressions of these new ideas, we may be in a position to ask ourselves: are we enlightened? Do we really learn from history? Plenty to discuss is guaranteed!
Course aim
18th century Europe saw a remarkable flowering of new ideas, essentially concerned with progress and improvement, which would be achieved through scientific method, and the application of reason. We shall examine the major themes that emerged.
Do I need any particular skills or experience?
- This course is for beginners and improvers
By the end of the course I should be able to:
- assess the contributions made by the leading thinkers of the period
- recognise why "reason" is the great 18th century buzzword
- identify a number of different "enlightenments"
- contribute, with confidence, to discussions of the themes
What else do I need to know?
Just an open and enquiring mind!
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