Why the Enlightenment still matters today - Professor Justin Champion

"The Enlightenment" has been regarded as a turning point in the intellectual history of the West. The principles of religious tolerance, optimism about human progress and a demand for rational debate are often thought to be a powerful legacy of the ideas of Locke, Newton, Voltaire and Diderot. There was however a radical Enlightenment, indebted to the materialism of Hobbes and Spinoza, which posed an even greater challenge to traditional religious and political values. Given the 'return of religion' and the challenges of potential environmental catastrophe, Professor Champion argues to the contrary in this lecture on why we would be wise to go back to explore some of the more radical insights of Enlightenment freethinkers.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
www.gresham.ac....
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/...

[@erichodge567]

These Gresham lectures are such a gift.

[@maninsligo]

Great lecture.

[@Palifiox]

Despite three microphones, his voice is frequently inaudible.

[@Ceares]

I'm just going to go read the transcript.Possibly a great educator but not a great public speaker.

[@tesmabuchert4090]

Where does one get the transcript?

[@tesmabuchert4090]

+Tesma Buchert Oh, never mind. I got it. Ty.

[@tesmabuchert4090]

Where does one get the transcript?

[@specialfart7578]

summary?

[@Chinareport]

religious tolerance? Hey, the enlightenment and the age of reason led to the rejection of religion and the concept of god as superstitious and a figment of the imagination. That is the whole point.

[@kalina2150]

By religious tolerance he means the toleration of religions except christianity and catholicism.

[@free00to00ryhme]

And the French Revolution taught us that we can’t have morals without religion. Many founding fathers believed religion a fundamental requirement for the success of a nation after they saw the carnage of the French Revolution and their attempt to destroy Religion. It only gave birth to a new religion that put a man as God and was rejected by the population, thus Catholicism made a come back almost immediately. Even the self proclaimed atheist Napoleon made it clear that he supports the religious institutions because, and to paraphrase Napoleon, without religion man is lost. When a nation loses God, that nation falls. You can not have morals unless you believe that it will effect you’re eternal soul in the afterlife. Otherwise what’s the point of being charitable and mannerful if life is nothing but self gain rather than a competition of piety to appease the Creator and gain his favor? Even so, science continues to conclude that there is indeed a God. Whether or not current religious doctrines are accurate in depicting God is the true debate.

[@lyrarose7770]

This makes no sense. I am completely lost..... help.

[@anthonyanderson8582]

I came here hoping to learn something from a "scholar" but couldn't make it past this tool comparing Obama to Thomas Jefferson.

[@pricklyphlox]

+Anthony Anderson Awww. Back to your Cheerios and reality TV then.

[@51394547]

Very obfuscatory language.

[@51394547]

Possibly one needs to read this particular historian. As a speaker he is uninspiring and narcotic.

[@Arumflower]

Why so much fake stammering ?