The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth-century PhilosophersHere a distinguished American historian challenges the belief that the eighteenth century was essentially modern in its temper. In crystalline prose Carl Becker demonstrates that the period commonly described as the Age of Reason was, in fact, very far from that; that Voltaire, Hume, Diderot, and Locke were living in a medieval world, and that these philosophers "demolished the Heavenly City of St. Augustine only to rebuild it with more up-to-date materials." In a new foreword, Johnson Kent Wright looks at the book's continuing relevance within the context of current discussion about the Enlightenment. "Will remain a classic--a beautifully finished literary product."--Charles A. Beard, American Historical Review "The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth-Century Philosophers remains one of the most distinctive American contributions to the historical literature on the Enlightenment. . . . [It] is likely to beguile and provoke readers for a long time to come."--Johnson Kent Wright, from the foreword |
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The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth Century Philosophers Carl Lotus Becker,Yale University. Mary Cady Tew Fund No preview available - 1932 |
Common terms and phrases
age of reason ancient atheists Becker called Charles the Fat Christian philosophy classical climate of opinion common sense customs Dante Dialogues Diderot divine doctrine doubt eighteenth century Eighteenth-Century Philosophers Enlightenment enthusiasm Esprit des lois Essay essential eternal evil fact faith fêtes Fontenelle French Revolution future Garden of Eden golden age happy Heavenly City historians hope human experience Hume Hume's idea immortality Jacobinism Jean Jacques Rousseau knowledge laws of nature learned less liberty logic look losophers Lustnau Madame Roland mankind Marcus Aurelius medieval ment mind modern Montesquieu morality natural law Newton Newtonian Oeuvres past perfection perhaps phers Philoso philosopher-historian Philosophers political posterity preconceptions principles rational regard religion of humanity Rousseau social soul specious present terity things Thomas thought tion truth ture tury understood universal virtue Voltaire words writing