Book Details
This is a study of the political theory of the Enlightenment, focusing on four leading eighteenth-century thinkers: David Hume, Adam Smith, Montesquieu and Voltaire. Dennis C. Rasmussen calls attention to the particular strand of the Enlightenment these thinkers represent, which he terms the 'pragmatic Enlightenment'. He defends this strand of Enlightenment thought against both the Enlightenment's critics and some of the more idealistic Enlightenment figures who tend to have more followers today, such as John Locke, Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham. Professor Rasmussen argues that Hume, Smith, Montesquieu and Voltaire exemplify an especially attractive type of liberalism, one that is more realistic, moderate, flexible, and contextually sensitive than most other branches of this tradition.
- Binding Paperback
- Author/s Rasmussen, Dennis C.
- ISBN13 9781107622999
- ISBN10 1107622999
- Pages 349
- Published 2017
- Language English
The pragmatic enlightenment: recovering the liberalism of Hume, Smith, Montesquieu, and Voltaire
- Author Dennis C. Rasmussen
- Publisher CAMBRIDGE U.P
- ISBN 9781107622999
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