Author(s): Stuart Jordan

Popular Science

It evaluates the process that society has made since the Enlightenment and offers a cautiously optimistic vision for the future. In the 17th and 18th centuries, a major cultural shift took place in western Europe. Leading thinkers began to emphasize the use of reason to tackle the challenges of life. Instead of religion, intellectuals put their faith in science and humanistic ethics in the hope of improving the secular lives of people everywhere. Today we call this development the Enlightenment. This thought-provoking analysis evaluates the progress that global society has made since the Enlightenment, beginning by exploring the features of present-day society that are direct results of the Enlightenments discoveries - technology, modern medicine, science, and democratic institutions. It then goes on to discuss some of the problems produced in the wake of these advances - overpopulation, nuclear proliferation, and climate change. Despite these and other daunting challenges, this book concludes on a cautiously optimistic note, predicting Enlightenment's vision of a better life for all will be achieved.