The Enlightenment enterprise can be described as a search for the natural state of humanity, independent of the social orders that philosophers often criticized as arbitrary and unjust (e.g., social inequality, slavery as contrary to the laws of nature). While Enlightenment thinkers embraced the Christian notion of universal human nature, they also gave significant attention to the variability and diversity of humankind across time and space. Fictional texts of the period frequently juxtapose the natural and the social through thought experiments involving uneducated or "uncivilized" beings (e.g., the blind, the deaf, feral children, and so-called "savages"). To what extent did Enlightenment thought anticipate contemporary social definitions of gender, race, or disability? How should we approach these ideas today, especially in light of critiques highlighting that figures such as Montesquieu and Voltaire propagated racist views?
Panelists:
Jeremy Chow (Bucknell University), Andrew S. Curran (Wesleyan University), Mona Narain (Texas Christian University)
Date: Friday, February 7, 2025
Time: 12:00 – 13:30 (eastern standard time)
RSVP (by February 5): https://forms.gle/axvjWm4YC89SsWpZ9
(You will receive a link by email one day before the event.)
