The World We Want : How and Why the Ideals of the Enlightenment Still Elude Us: How and Why the Ideals of the Enlightenment Still Elude UsThe World We Want compares the future world that Enlightenment intellectuals had hoped for with our own world at present. In what respects do the two worlds differ, and why are they so different? To what extent is and isn't our world the world they wanted, and to what extent do we today still want their world? Unlike previous philosophical critiques and defenses of the Enlightenment, the present study focuses extensively on the relevant historical and empirical record first, by examining carefully what kind of future Enlightenment intellectuals actually hoped for; second, by tracking the different legacies of their central ideals over the past two centuries. But in addition to documenting the significant gap that still exists between Enlightenment ideals and current realities, the author also attempts to show why the ideals of the Enlightenment still elude us. What does our own experience tell us about the appropriateness of these ideals? Which Enlightenment ideals do not fit with human nature? Why is meaningful support for these ideals, particularly within the US, so weak at present? Which of the means that Enlightenment intellectuals advocated for realizing their ideals are inefficacious? Which of their ideals have devolved into distorted versions of themselves when attempts have been made to realize them? How and why, after more than two centuries, have we still failed to realize the most significant Enlightenment ideals? In short, what is dead and what is living in these ideals? |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
achieving Adam Smith advocated American Anthropology believe Cambridge University Press chapter cited citizens civic civil claim commerce commercial society concerning Condorcet contemporary cosmopolitan countries covenant critics cultural defense democracy discussion duty earlier economic Edited eighteenth century Enlight Enlightenment authors Enlightenment hopes Enlightenment ideals Enlightenment intellectuals enment Essays Ethics Europe faith Fichte freedom gentium German globalization goal Grotius Herder History Human Rights Hume instance institutions International Criminal Court international law ius gentium Jefferson justice Kant Kant's La Chalotais latter law of nations League of Nations liberal liberal democracy Liberty means ment modern morality thesis nationalist natural law natural theology notes Oxford peace through federation percent Perpetual Peace Philosophy political Portable Enlightenment Reader present principle proposals Pufendorf realize reason reform religion religious republic republicanism Rousseau Smith social sovereign sovereignty Theory tion toleration trade Translated unity thesis Voltaire Wolff Writings York وو