The Islamic World and the Radical Enlightenment: Toleration, Freethinking and Personal Liberty

Jonathan Israel
Institute for Advanced Study
May 21, 2008
Jonathan Israel, Professor, School of Historical Studies. In the 1660s and onward, the Radical Enlightenment pushed for full freedom of thought, religious freedom, and personal liberty together with democracy and the principle of equality. In this lecture, Jonathan Israel will address how this part of the Western Enlightenment used medieval Islamic freethinkers and their ideas, and interpreted the special features of Islamic society and politics to illustrate and broaden its own arguments for transforming the Western World. In recent years, this intellectual movement has been much more intensively studied and better understood, and this lecture -- the outgrowth of a highly innovative colloquium recently held at the Institute, Islamic Freethinking and Western Radicalism -- will highlight recent research into what might be broadly termed the Democratic Enlightenment.
This lecture is presented with support provided by the Dr. S.T. Lee Fund for Historical Studies.
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[@EzzKazaaber]

Averroes was not executed, where did you get your information from (m:39) ?!!!

[@blankpage5869]

These comments are causing my eyes to bleed. One of them says the only way for a radical religious man to find enlightenment is at the end of the rope. I suppose he has never read a history book on the age of enlightenment, or at least the main figures of it,rene descartes, malebranche,leibniz,newton, john locke, and others, all of whom were very passionate christians and placed god at the very centre of their works. Another of them says he got muslim friends who could be said to be mild but even they would support terrorist attacks of isis so all mild muslims are just hidden radicals and support isis. How strange it is that I also have mild muslim friends and they despise isis, unless there is a conspiracy all muslims are in to fake everything they do every moment in their life. Guys, please get empirically correct. I know it is hard for you to suppress your super ego that has inflated ever since you realised god daddy does not exist, but there are greater things to know in the universe. When you discover there is no god, you are not discovering everything to know so snap out of it.

[@jupitersstring2823]

It's true. These people don't even try to hide the fact they are a slave to their passions.

[@spinophrenic-fr7024]

@@jupitersstring2823 I genuinely think Spinoza could immensely help to think the current challenges of Islam and Modernity.

[@kapilsethia9284]

Wahabist libertarian movement, definitely a radical thought.

[@jaccrystal6993]

History is the most compliant of the intellectual arts.

[@Mmmounir1980]

Woooooow

[@tommyrobinson808]

Ex Christian and Muslim ❤️

[@1972dsrai]

I have some friends who would be seen as moderate but even they would defend most terrorist acts committed by isis and its followers, countering with how western govts as well as Israel and India act towards muslims.

[@GaryFinneyfrock]

There is the domestic terrorist, Neo-Nazis, KKK, street gangs (cults), religious fascist, fanaticism

[@jakeramos9775]

WELL THAT'S STRANGE MY FRIENDS WHO ARE MUSLIM NEVER DEFENDED THEM AND SOME OF THEM ARE EVEN CALLING THEM DEMONS AND ANIMALS!

[@markholand1618]

From the last name of Mr. Jonathan , I can understand where is he heading to ? I have no problem with that , he is Jewish and Zionist but camouflage it as humanist , rationalist etc . I have a problem with those who did not understand his intention

[@ahmadagil9020]

Fuck you mark, fuck the intention we should understand, what's wrong with you? he is a great historian and what he did in all his works it somthing amazing and we will always be grateful to freethinkers like Jonathan and spinoza the great