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The Philosophy of the Enlightenment: (Updated) (Princeton Classic Editions)

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Ernst Cassirer was one of the more important philosophers of the 20th Century, although his work is less well-known in this country than on the Continent. Cassirer was also a Kant scholar who wrote an influential biography of Kant "Kant's Leben und Lehre" (Kant's Life and Teachings). This book, written in the mid-1930s, but not available in English until much later, is perhaps still the best serious survey of the Enlightenment, with more emphasis on the German Enlightenment than we are used to seeing. (The term 'enlightenment' itself comes from the German word "Aufklaerung"). Unlike many of the more recent writers on the Enlightenment, Cassirer is sympathetic to the Enlightenment enterprise and does not have an axe to grind (Peter Gay and Lester Crocker come to mind). Although well-written, and the subject is interesting to anyone concerned about the growth of the modern world, this is not an easy book: Cassirer presents a more nuanced view of the Enlightment and the philosophes than even most educated readers are used to and the reader must actively think about the arguments presented. The effort is absolutely worthwhile.

The historian Tim Blanning used the phrase "difficult but profound" to describe this book. Profound because of its insightful treatment of enlightment intellectual history, difficult because Cassirer employs a fairly technical and unfamiliar vocabulary and the often intricate analysis. This book, however, definitely repays careful reading. Cassirer believed in the Hegelian idea that the study of a period's philosophy allows definition of the distinguishing spirit of that period. Consequently, this is not a conventional chronological history but a thematic treatment of key areas. Cassirer treats the natural sciences, psychology and epistemology, treatment of religion, attitudes to history, what we would now call political theory and political science, and aesthetics. Each section is distinguished by Cassirer's remarkable erudition. In addition to analysis of major thinkers like Voltaire and Leibnitz, Cassirer discussion of now obscure thinkers to illuminate important issues. Another important feature is Cassirer's careful attention to the German enlightenment, particularly the intellectual tradition initiated by Leibnitz.

Several key themes run throughout all sections. One is the importance of reason which Cassirer treats usefully as the use of analysis. Very much inspired by the success of Newtonian physics, analysis is an empirically oriented investigation of natural, psychological,and social worlds, the description of the dynamic processes, and the search for mechanisms. As Cassirer remarks, "the power of reason does not consist in in enabling us to transcend the empirical world but rather in teaching us to feel at home in it". The emphasis on reason/analysis is accompanied by a heightened sense of human capacities and the possibility of real human progress. Cassirer distinguishes these features from both traditional religious dogma and the deductive rationalistic systems characteristic of 17th century philosophy. The ironic limitations of this approach are discussed well. Enlightenment psychology, for example, leads to Humean epistemology with its limitation of certainty. Cassirer is also very good on how the Enlightenment tradition will lead to new developments that would generate the Romantic movement, particulary the Liebnitzian tradition in Germany. Cassirer's ability to situate the Enlightment in historic context is just outstanding. He shows, for example, the links between Renaissance humanism and the Enlightenment are discussed concisely but insightfully.

This wonderful book also has a somewhat sad tinge. Published originally in Germany in 1932, it was written in the late 1920s and early 1930s, when these kind of ideals were under vigorous attack in Germany. Cassirer's sympathetic but objective treatment constitutes a powerful defense of enlightenment values. Within a few years of the publication of this book, Cassirer, the first Jew to be rector of a German university and one of the towering figures of German intellectual life, had to go into exile.

Ernst Cassirer's "The Philosophy of the Enlightenment" is an excellent historical overview of this period of intellectual history. He highlights the major themes that unite this diverse group of thinkers. I previously read and enjoyed Peter Gay's two-volume history of the Enlightenment, but I wish I had read Cassirer's book before Gay's. I would definitely have appreciated Gay's work more. I highly recommend Cassirer's work.

Yes! Amazing how the eighteenth century is still here today, in our many institutions and political ideals. Cassirer's heady analysis of the culture, debates and ideals of the time informs our current cultural mosaic, where rap lives side by side with the Lincoln Center. I especially return to his synopsis of the debate about faith in the XVIIIth c., that centers on Voltaire's attack against Pascal. When the thoughts of moral titans collide, the sparks endure.