What do you think of the philosophers of the Enlightenment?

[Julie4]

[RavVid]

We wouldn't be who we are without them! It was an explosion of thought.

I reference Cromwell quite often. In over throwing an absolutist monarch he became a dictator and sought to govern England through the army. I see it that, simply in his time how to govern a country without a monarch hadn't been thought out. The Enlightenment philosophers did think it out subsequently.

Political philosophy was most significant in my view. I am probably being naive on the whole period though.

[Julie4]

Conservatives are not fans of the philosophers of the Enlightenment, especially Rousseau.

[RavVid]

We don't necessarily have to agree, to value thoughts. In the worse case it might be good to know what needs to be opposed. I think Rousseau's view of human nature is, at best, unrealistically optimistic but a social contract concept is a valuable one though not exclusive to Rousseau.

It is not as if we are limited to Enlightenment philosophers. Hobbes might have a more realistic view to me of human nature. Bentham a better view of rights than the Declaration of Rights.

I do think we take something from the Enlightenment and near Enlightenment regardless. And it might be in opposition..

[DrPepper12]

But they sure love them some Hobbes!

[DrPepper12]

Bethham doesn't get enuf play for his contributions.

[RavVid]

@DrPepper12 Agree with both. 'Red in tooth and claw' is natural and speaks to the conservative brain structure.

You probably won't agree with me as an American but I think a lot of rights are bogus and far from natural. So I prefer Bentham's view and he certainly doesn't get the air time he ought.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

I tend to think they were very late to the party, especially when Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome had already established many interesting ideas. I also tend to think they could be forgotten...

Due to anti-intellectualism vibes here and there, the never-ending plague of religious fundamentalism, national populism getting more followers, crisis and crisis adding up etc.

It smells like... You know, the opposite of enlightenment.

[MissTrix]

They thought far but kinda ended Thier thinking of new ways and change!

Medically ahead and behind! Science and training was a joke. It was all about need and what school you studied at.

[DrPepper12]

Hence the coffee house or "two pence university" and the democratization of education that USA really brought to fruition

[DrPepper12]

Rafael "School of Athens"

I'll take these guys n gals instead...

[abc3643]

Better than the bullshit artists of today... like Trump.

[RyanEC]

I think they contributed greatly to societal change.

[Julie4]

Yeah

[RedInnocent69]

Pretty enlightened for their time