The best of the Enlightenment

Originally posted by DrKF
We had to get round to Leibniz, but he's one of the Enlightenment curveballs, to my mind - particularly when you stray away from his contribution to mathematics and in to metaphysics.

Playnka, I don't know - other than the maths bias - how you can exclude Kant from your list! Everyone and his goat was in awe of his accomplishments... But it's good to have a ...[text shortened]... e to be a double album, at least. But at least we get a gatefold sleeve with it...

Kant is one of my favourites, but including it ruined the theme. 🙂

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
From the era.

Beethoven was the first that came to mind; couldn't think of any others. Haydn? Somehow ...

Haydn never really broke away from the strict norms of baroque/classical although his late oaratorios the Creation and the Seasons are quite surprising for a somewhat stiff dude. Beethoven belived in Napoleon as the "enlghtened" leader who would bring the revolutionary philosophy to fruition and dedicated his Eroica to him. When Napoloen crowned himself emperor Beethoven erased the dedication in the autograph score. Years later when advised Napoleon had died, Beethoven said: "Bah! Lord knows I've already written the music to that tragedy!" The second movement of the Eroica being a funeral march!

Originally posted by DrKF
We had to get round to Leibniz, but he's one of the Enlightenment curveballs, to my mind - particularly when you stray away from his contribution to mathematics and in to metaphysics.

Playnka, I don't know - other than the maths bias - how you can exclude Kant from your list! Everyone and his goat was in awe of his accomplishments... But it's good to have a ...[text shortened]... e to be a double album, at least. But at least we get a gatefold sleeve with it...

Sorted:
YouTube&feature=player_embedded

Leibniz has to be included if only as a football to Voltaire. So I guess Voltaire has to be in as well -- in the liner notes, perhaps. I mean, look at this picture:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Voltaire_and_Diderot_at_the_Caf%C3%A9_Procope.jpeg

Who's being a dick to the waiter? Voltaire.

I like the idea of Philosopher Top Trumps. It would be fun to devise a rating system. Got any ideas?

Yes, it was a deliberate strategy -- Kant was a monster!!! From Kant to Azathoth in three easy steps.

I tend to agree with you idealistically speaking, but Russell's way of saving universals via relations is quite brilliant. A bit odd that he should have got a Nobel for Literature, though. Why isn't there a Nobel for Philosophy?

A propos the OP: Tvetan Todorov & AC Greyling in conversation:

http://newhumanist.org.uk/2211/head-to-head

(I see that the New Humanist offers free 'God Trumps' for new subscribers ... )

Not a fan of Berkeley, or Leibnitz (though only read a sort of overview of the latter). Not entirely sure what constitutes an Enlightener, but fan of Sade, Kant, Bach, though to be honest I find myself severely lacking in knowledge about them these days.

And what about Spinoza as the man who got the enlightenment going by rejecting the authority of revealed religion? If there is a question: "What is enlightenment?" then it has at least a negative answer along the lines of not letting religious orthodoxies dictate your thinking for you. As to the positive answer, (ie. - what to believe instead) the jury is still out I suppose. Liberty, equality and fraternity will do for me though.

Originally posted by dikankan
And what about Spinoza as the man who got the enlightenment going by rejecting the authority of revealed religion? If there is a question: "What is enlightenment?" then it has at least a negative answer along the lines of not letting religious orthodoxies dictate your thinking for you. As to the positive answer, (ie. - what to believe instead) the jury is still out I suppose. Liberty, equality and fraternity will do for me though.

I love Spinoza, but is he good for anything today?