Mark Gardner's romance with Meg Lowman is actually impeded, not enhanced, by his new book "How To Meet a Gorgeous Girl."

The Enlightenment of the late 17th and 18th century is characterized by an emphasis on reason and empiricism . As a major shaping philosophy of Western culture, it had a historical impact on the religious, cultural, academic, and social institutions of 18th century Europe. In this compelling volume, the author explores the lasting impact of Enlightenment thinking on modern Western societies and other democracies. With an interdisciplinary, comparative-historical approach this volume explores the impact of Enlightenment ideals such as liberty, equality, and social justice on current social institutions. Combining sociological theory with concrete examples, the author provides a unique framework for understanding modern cultural development, including a picture of how it would look without this Enlightenment basis. This work provides a multi-faceted approach, including: an historical overview, analysis of the Enlightenment’s influence on modern democratic societies, modern culture, political science, civil society and the economy, as well as exploring the counter-Enlightenment, Post-Enlightenment, and Neo-Enlightenment philosophies.

The founders of the Enlightenment in France are presented in this volume. The author emphasizes the practice as well as practical humanism and examines their fascination with science.

How did the universe work? How did the human mind learn? What kind of government was best? These are some of the questions that people asked during the Age of Ideas, or the Enlightenment. Readers will learn about some of the most important aspects, ideas, and people of this time, including John Locke, David Hume, Voltaire, Copernicus, and Romanticism. Through intriguing facts and engaging sidebars, readers will also discover the incredible outcomes of the Scientific Revolution and how scientists like Galileo, Isaac Newton, and Johannes Keplar changed the way people see the world! The colorful images and supportive text work together to help readers understand the major impact the French Revolution had on the French people, as well as the influence it had on the American Revolution.

First published in 1960, In Search of Humanity: The Role of the Enlightenment in Modern History represents an analysis of the decline of moral and political standards in the 20th century in light of their development during the 17th and 18th centuries. Professor Alfred Cobban not only provides a thorough and comprehensible overview of the political ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers, but also illustrates how these ideas are relevant for our own age. Along with discussing the general tenets of the Enlightenment, Prof. Cobban also attempts to demystify some of the myths surrounding the impact that the Enlightenment had on the French Revolution, and political philosophy thereafter. Professor Cobban gives a clear outline of the profoundly classical liberal nature of the Enlightenment, which is the basis of the “humanity” he seeks to re-discover, treasure and cherish. Anyone intending to defend classical liberalism in our time should take heed of the ideas espoused in this book.