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A Wicked Company: The Forgotten Radicalism Of The European Enlightenment (2010)

by Philipp Blom(Favorite Author)

4.09 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0465014534 (ISBN13: 9780465014538)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Basic Books

review 1: It is clear from the outset whom the author likes and dislikes, and whom he wants us to like. But the book strikes a chord, and confirms my biased opinion that the radical, atheistic, hedonistic Enlightenment thought with its emphasis on the individual in a social context, going back to Epicurus, and influencing amongst others Nietzsche, Shelley, and dare I even suggest it, Dawkins, is a much better guide for today than the soft, watered down and much better known version with its deistic emphasis on Reason and System.
review 2: An interesting look at the Enlightenment and the radicalism underlying the ideas of Diderot, d'Hollbach, Voltaire and crew. Engaging for non-fiction, It read like a story, with each chapter focusing on a different philosophe or event, b... moreut while retaining a common thread throughout. I think this is an especially important book for those prone to misinterpreting the Enlightenment and its aftermath, as it clearly differentiates Diderot/d'Hollbach/Voltaire/etc from the ideas of Rousseau, whose ideas have been used to support extremism and despotism, at least during the Revolution.The only complaint I had was the detail in which the author explained the ideas of the philosophes. This seems an odd complaint, but I was more interested in the implications of their ideas than in the minutia. All in all a good read. less

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