The prestige of the Enlightenment has declined in recent years. Many consider its thinking abstract, its art and poetry uninspiring, and the assertion that it introduced a new age of freedom and progress after centuries of darkness and superstition presumptuous. In this book, an eminent scholar of modern culture shows that the Enlightenment was a more complex phenomenon than most of its detractors and advocates assume. It includes rationalist as well as antirationalist tendencies, a critique of traditional morality and religion as well as an attempt to establish them on new foundations, even the beginning of a moral renewal and a spiritual revival. The Enlightenment’s critique of tradition was a necessary consequence of the fundamental modern principle that we humans are solely responsible for the course of history. Hence we can accept no belief, no authority, no institutions that are not in some way justified. This foundation, for better or for worse, determined the course of the following centuries. Despite contemporary reactions against it, the Enlightenment continues to shape our own time and still distinguishes Western culture from any other.

Aims to modify the periodization for the American Enlightenment. Americans did accept an early and moderate Enlightenment characterised by the work of Locke and Newton. This collection highlights the functional nature of the Enlightenment in America.

Aims to modify the periodization for the American Enlightenment. Americans did accept an early and moderate Enlightenment characterised by the work of Locke and Newton. This collection highlights the functional nature of the Enlightenment in America.

In this third edition of Capitalism and Classical Social Theory, John Bratton and David Denham build on the classical triumvirate--Karl Marx, ?mile Durkheim, and Max Weber--by extending the conversation to include early female theorists such as Mary Wollstonecraft and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, as well as the writings of W.E.B. Du Bois and G.H. Mead. Connecting current headlines in the political mainstream to concepts like alienation, anomie, class, gender, race, and the environment, Capitalism and Classical Social Theory sheds light on how classical social theories may be applied and understood within a contemporary context. This revised and expanded third edition features topical discussions of socio-economic shifts in the post-Trump and post-Brexit world and uses original excerpts and additional readings to further contextualize the significance of classical social theory today.

"This is one of the sharpest and most rewarding textbooks for teaching classical social theory. The emphasis on depth over breadth pays off handsomely, providing students with a badly needed foundation in the classics of sociology." - Philip Walsh, York University

Most texts on classical social theory offer exhaustive coverage of every possible theorist, making it difficult to use the book in one semester. Capitalism and Classical Social Theory, Second Edition represents a departure from this approach by offering solid coverage of the classical triumvirate (Marx, Durkheim, and Weber), but also extending the canon strategically to include Simmel, four early female theorists, and the writings of Du Bois. The result is a manageable, but thorough, examination of the key classical theorists. The second edition has been updated throughout and includes two new chapters: one on Weber and rationalization, and one on Du Bois and his writings on race. A new concluding chapter links classical theory to current developments in capitalism during an age of austerity.

Capitalism and Classical Social Theory, Second Edition offers solid coverage of the classical triumvirate (Marx, Durkheim, and Weber), but also extends the canon strategically to include Simmel, four early female theorists, and the writings of Du Bois.

Challenging the common assumption that the Enlightenment of the late seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries was an essentially secular, irreligious and atheistic movement, this book critiques this standard interpretation as based on a narrow view of Enlightenment sources. Building on the work of revisionist historians, this volume takes the argument squarely into the theological domain, whether Anglican, Dissenting, Lutheran or deistic, whilst also noting that the Enlightenment deeply affected Roman Catholic and Jewish theologies. It challenges the stereotype of 'Enlightenment rationalism', and the penultimate chapter brings out the biblical and ecclesial roots of the image of enlightenment and reclaims it for Christian faith.

Religiosity and spirituality (R/S) represent a very important factor of daily life for many individuals across different cultures and contexts. It is associated with lower rates of depression, suicide, mortality, and substance abuse, and is positively correlated with well-being and quality of life. Despite growing academic recognition and scientific literature on these connections this knowledge has not been translated into clinical practice. Part of the expanding Oxford Cultural Psychiatry series, Spirituality and Mental Health Across Cultures is a timely exploration of the implications of R/S on mental health. Written and edited by 38 experts in the fields of spirituality and mental health from 11 countries, covering a wide range of cultural and geographical perspectives, this unique resource assesses how mental health relates to world religions, agnosticism, atheism, and spiritualism unaffiliated with organised religion, with a practical touch. Across 25 chapters, this resource provides readers with a succinct and trustworthy review of the latest research and how this can be applied to clinical care. The first section covers the principles and fundamental questions that relate science, history, philosophy, neuroscience, religion, and spirituality with mental health. The second section discusses the main beliefs and practices related to world religions and their implications to mental health. The third reviews the impact of R/S on specific clinical situations and offers practical guidance on how to handle these appropriately, such as practical suggestions for assessing and integrating R/S in personal history anamnesis or psychotherapy.

Chapter 7. A Culture of Trust? -- Chapter 8. Fracturing the Irish Enlightenment -- Chapter 9. An Enlightened Civil War -- Conclusion: Ireland's Missing Modernity -- Notes -- Acknowledgements -- Index