Enlightenment and Original Sin

"What was the Enlightenment? This question has been endlessly debated. In this book, historian Matthew Kadane advances the bold claim that Enlightenment is best defined through what it set out to accomplish, which was nothing short of rethinking the meaning of human nature. Kadane argues that this project centered around the doctrine of original sin and, ultimately, its rejection, signaling the radical notion that an inherently flawed nature can be overcome by human means. Kadane explores these ambitious, wide-ranging themes through the story of the largely unknown Pentecost Barker, an eighteenth-century "purser" and wine merchant. Examining Barker's diary and correspondence with a Unitarian minister, Kadane tracks the transformation of Barker's consciousness from a Puritan to an Enlightenment outlook. In one man's conversion, Kadane tracks large-scale shifts in self-understanding whose philosophical reverberations would (and have continued to) shape debates on human nature for centuries to come"--

About the author

Matthew Kadane is professor of history at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY. He is the author of The Watchful Clothier: The Life of an Eighteenth-Century Protestant Capitalist.

Product details

• Authors: Matthew Kadane, Kadane Matthew
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.05.2024
• EAN: 9780226832876
• ISBN: 978-0-226-83287-6
• No. of pages: 264
• Series: The Life of Ideas
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, Europe, European History, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Modern, HISTORY / Europe / General, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, 17th century, c 1600 to c 1699, Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700, C 1600 To C 1700, Western philosophy: Enlightenment, C 1700 To C 1800