Reclaiming the Enlightenment
Format: Paperback
ISBN13: 9780231126090
Paperback|9780231126090
✨ Featured Offer
Used, Very Good
$11.02
List Price: $32.00
🚚
See all 5 offers from $11.02 FREE standard delivery by: 03 Apr 2026
Overview
This book tackles an obvious yet profound problem of modern political life: the disorientation of intellectuals and activists on the left. As the study of political history and theory has been usurped by cultural criticism, a confusion over the origins and objectives of progressive politics has been the result. Specifically, it has become fashionable for intellectuals to attack the Enlightenment for its imperialism, eurocentrism, and scientism, and for the sexism and racism of some of its major representatives. Although the fact that individual thinkers harbored such prejudices is irrefutable, Stephen Bronner argues that reducing the Enlightenment ethos to these beliefs is wholly unsustainable.
With its championing of democracy, equality, cosmopolitanism, and reason--and its vociferous attacks on popular prejudice, religious superstition, and arbitrary abuses of power--the Enlightenment was once hailed as the foundation of all modern, progressive politics. But in 1947, this perspective was dramatically undermined when Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno published their classic work, Dialectic of Enlightenment, which claims that the Enlightenment was the source of totalitarianism and the worst excesses of modernity. Reclaiming the Enlightenment from purely philosophical and cultural interpretations, Bronner shows that its notion of political engagement keeps democracy fresh and alive by providing a practical foundation for fostering institutional accountability, opposing infringements on individual rights, instilling an enduring commitment to social reform, and building a cosmopolitan sensibility. This forceful and timely reinterpretation of the Enlightenment and its powerful influence on contemporary political life is a resounding wake-up call to critics on both the left and the right.
With its championing of democracy, equality, cosmopolitanism, and reason--and its vociferous attacks on popular prejudice, religious superstition, and arbitrary abuses of power--the Enlightenment was once hailed as the foundation of all modern, progressive politics. But in 1947, this perspective was dramatically undermined when Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno published their classic work, Dialectic of Enlightenment, which claims that the Enlightenment was the source of totalitarianism and the worst excesses of modernity. Reclaiming the Enlightenment from purely philosophical and cultural interpretations, Bronner shows that its notion of political engagement keeps democracy fresh and alive by providing a practical foundation for fostering institutional accountability, opposing infringements on individual rights, instilling an enduring commitment to social reform, and building a cosmopolitan sensibility. This forceful and timely reinterpretation of the Enlightenment and its powerful influence on contemporary political life is a resounding wake-up call to critics on both the left and the right.
| ISBN-13 | 9780231126090 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10 | 0231126093 |
| Weight | 0.62 Pounds |
| Dimensions | 6.00 x 0.46 x 9.00 In |
| List Price | $32.00 |
| Edition | 1st Edition |
| Format | Paperback |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Pages | 224 pages |
| Publisher | Columbia University Press |
| Published On | 2006-05-16 |
View All Offers
Sort by:
Price
Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
✨ Used, Very Good
Seller details
Midtown Scholar Bookstore
Harrisburg, PA, USA
Very Good-Crisp, clean, unread book with some shelfwear/edgewear, may have a remainder mark-NICE PAP...
Free delivery by: 03 Apr 2026
Used, Very Good
Seller details
Midtown Scholar Bookstore
Harrisburg, PA, USA
Very Good paperback with light shelfwear-NICE! Standard-sized.
Free delivery by: 03 Apr 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
Midtown Scholar Bookstore
Harrisburg, PA, USA
Good-Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may ha...
Free delivery by: 03 Apr 2026
Used, Very Good
Seller details
HPB-Movies
Dallas, TX, USA
Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and ...
Free delivery by: 03 Apr 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
Midtown Scholar Bookstore
Harrisburg, PA, USA
Good paperback, bumped/creased with shelfwear; may have previous owner's name inside. Standard-sized...
Free delivery by: 03 Apr 2026