Rethinking the Enlightenment
Dear Friends,
About a month ago, a professor I know asked me to review his newly published book. Given that I’ve been waiting for him to publish a book forever, I was delighted by the proposition and immediately accepted. So, here is my review of:
Stuart, Joseph T. Rethinking the Enlightenment: Faith in the Age of Reason. Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 2020.
Delightful, my Friends, it was delightful. I feel as though I have taken a trip through eighteenth century Europe and met many of the leading people. Dr. Stuart tells the stories of Voltaire, Rousseau, the Carmelites of Compiegne, Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Pope Benedict XIV, John Wesley, and others.
Dr. Stuart also provides a compelling analysis of the stories. He argued that the Christians of the period had three primary responses to the Enlightenment. The first was Conflictual; it was primarily seen in France and was fed by the tyrannical behavior of Catholics and the extreme responses of Enlighteners to that tyranny. The second response was Engagement; this was seen in Germany and in the Papal States under Pope Benedict XIV. Finally, the third practice was Retreat: this was not a retreat from a battle lost, but a withdrawal from the world in the spirit of “going on retreat” today where Christians go up to a cabin with other Christians, revive their faith, then return to their lives with renewed fire for God. These three responses interacted and came in various combinations.
Three of the points that have stuck with me the most since I finished reading the book are as follows:
1.Voltaire was weird but also not bad. He was full of contradictions and hated injustice. He mobilized people with his words, which is very impressive.
2. Charles Wesley wrote the words for six thousand hymns. Six Thousand! These include, “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” and “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.” These were written to tunes people knew, and his brother used them in his preaching across England. Together, they helped bring about an important religious revival in England (founding the Methodists in the process) and the Great Awakening in the United States. Dr. Stuart notes that many historians believe that the religious revival led by the Wesleys and their friend Whitefield is one of the major reasons England was not convulsed by revolution like France and the US.
2.5. Related to the previous points, there was a lot of social unrest and strong reactions to injustice happening during the period. I was shocked at how similar the Enlightenment period is to our own. Besides civil unrest and riots, they were also dealing with new ways of disseminating information; the world was becoming more globalized; people were disillusioned with religion and the spiritual life; feelings were treated as the basis of morality (thank you, Rousseau); and more. Despite the French Revolution and guillotine, Rethinking Enlightenment actually gave me hope for our future. Yes, the Enlightenment period ended with bloodshed, but it did end and there was a lot of new technology that made the world a better place afterwards. So, that is hopeful.
3. Maria Gaetana Agnesi and Laura Bassi are awesome! Agnesi was the first female mathematician to publish a book under her own name. She was brilliant and decided to give up her fame and fortune to work in a hospital. Bassi was the second women ever to get a doctorate and the first to hold an academic chair in the sciences while at the same time being a devout Catholic and mother of eight. They were both supported by Pope Benedict XIV, who was super supportive of the sciences and rational thought. Everyone always complains that the Catholic Church imprisoned Galileo and so is obviously anti-science. They also complain that the Church is anti-women. Benedict, Agnesi, and Bassi blow these myths out of the water. Yes, the Church did not handle Galileo well, but that doesn’t mean that it is anti-science. It sponsored tons of scientific research during this period and started the first public museums for the dissemination of knowledge. Moreover, the first women to get doctorates all did so in the Papal States with the sponsorship of the pope, and were themselves devout Catholics. This was all done in a period when people were questioning whether women even had the capability to do higher level academic study.
This book is thorough enough to satisfy people with academic tendencies, but also easy enough to read that I’ve been recommending it to my fourteen-year-old brother (granted, he is an advanced reader). Point being, it is a very readable book, and I learned a lot from it. So, I highly recommend if you are interested in history, the Enlightenment, or even just want to read some cool stories that also happen to be true.
Five Stars! Bravo Dr. Stuart!
Debora S.
