enlightenment

Alma, born into luxury in 1800, becomes a gifted botanist like others in her family, but as she delves into the mysteries of evolution she falls in love with a man who pulls her in the opposite direction, into the realm of the spiritual, the divine, and the magical.

Theorizes that we do not yet have a clear enough idea of what human rights are. The term "natural right" first appeared in the late Middle Ages. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the theological content of the idea was abandoned in stages but nothing was put in its place and the secularlized notion left at the end of the Enlightenment is still the understanding today.

Presents a collection of essays that provide an overview of the Enlightenment, including information on it origins, history, philosophy, and influence.

Describes the Enlightenment period in Europe and England during the seventeenth century and the works of British philosopher Thomas Hobbes including "Elements of Law, Nature, and Politic" and "Leviathan, " and examines the Protestant Reformation and challenges to the crow and English society during the Age of Reason.

Describes the Enlightenment period in Europe during the eighteenth century and the works of French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, and examines his contributions to politics and government, his early life and works including "The Spirit of the Laws" and "Persian Letters, " and the political unrest of the French Revolution.

Describes the Enlightenment period of the eighteenth century and the works of French philosopher and father of the encyclopedia, Denis Diderot, and includes short profiles of other important figures who influenced English philosophy such as Voltaire, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Describes the Enlightenment period in Europe during the eighteenth century and the works of French writer and philosopher, Voltaire, including his dramas "Oedipe," "Zaire," and "Mahomet," along with his poems and other writings, and discusses his life and his influence upon French society.

Describes the Enlightenment period in Europe during the eighteenth century and the works of French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau including "Emile," "The Social Contract," and his "Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts," and examines his contribution to Denis Diderot's "Encyclopedia" and political comments on the American Revolution.