The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth-Century Philosophers by Carl L Becker

The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth-Century Philosophers by Carl L Becker

“Will remain a classic—a beautifully finished literary product.”—Charles A. Beard, American Historical Review   In this volume, the distinguished American historian Carl L. Becker challenges the belief that the eighteenth century was essentially modern in its temper. He writes, in crystalline prose, 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 Foreword written for this edition, Johnson Kent Wright looks at the book’s continuing relevance within the context of current discussion about the Enlightenment, noting that Becker’s work is “likely to beguile and provoke readers for a long time to come.”

“Will remain a classic—a beautifully finished literary product”—Charles A. Beard, American Historical Review

“An enduring landmark in the historiography of the Enlightenment. For three generations its eloquence of style and elegance of concept have provoked learning and creative criticism. Perhaps the chief indication of its merit is the high quality and intellectual significance of the replies and counterarguments it has called forth.”—Frank M. Turner, Yale University

“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

Carl L. Becker (1873–1945), a professor of European history at Cornell University, was one of the world’s leading authorities on eighteenth-century thought. Johnson Kent Wright is associate professor in the department of history at Arizona State University and author of A Classical Republican in Eighteenth-Century France: The Political Thought of Mably.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780300101508
ISBN 10	0300101503
Title	The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth-Century Philosophers
Author	Carl L Becker
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Yale University Press
Year published	2003-11-10
Number of pages	208
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.