The Enlightenment

By: Kieron O'Hara

Narrated by: Deidre Rubenstein

The Enlightenment has been nothing if not divisive, being blamed for bloody disasters – Auschwitz, the gulags, Islamic terrorism – as well as being heralded as the harbinger of reason and equality. To this day historians disagree over when it was, where it was, and what it was (or whether it still is). Kieron O’Hara deftly traverses these conflicts, presenting the history, ideology, culture, and social life of the Enlightenment – not as a simple set of easily enumerated ideas, but an evolving conglomerate that spawned a very diverse set of thinkers, from the radical Rousseau to the conservative Burke.©2010 Kieron O'Hara (P)2012 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

“O'Hara provides readers with an introduction to the Enlightenment that is thorough without ever being forbidding and shows a keen appreciation of the dilemmas and controversies that surround the enlightened inheritance.” (Dan Hind, author of The Threat to Reason: How the Enlightenment Was Hijacked and How We Can Reclaim It)

“This is an engaging and highly readable introduction to one of the most important intellectual developments in the history of Western culture.” (Matthew Humphrey, Reader in Political Philosophy, University of Nottingham)

“Lively and erudite. This is an excellent, and for its length remarkably comprehensive, starting place for approaching the Enlightenment.” (Penny Fielding, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, University of Edinburgh)

Well worth it !

Would you listen to The Enlightenment: Bolinda Beginner Guides again? Why?

I love reading about The Enlightenment. This is where to start to learn about this important period.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Enlightenment: Bolinda Beginner Guides?

This book has a thoughtful and very readable style. Some books on The Enlightenment make me stop and come back later. This book captured me from the beginning.

Have you listened to any of Deidre Rubenstein’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narrator doesn't win you over in the beginning. I got used to her.

Any additional comments?

Considering how much material there is in The Enlightenment. I am amazed how the author was able to make the reader understand it in such a readable style. Well worth listening to. We are the product of The Enlightenment.