History & Ideas

The primate myth.

The perils of the new historical revisionism

Two Centuries of Rebellion

The stark difference in the ways Jews and Romans entertain themselves provides insights into the values of each culture.

The first real criticism of the Enlightenment can be found in Jonathan Swift’s satirical novel Gulliver’s Travels.

Daniel Defoe’s Enlightenment experiment continues in the second half of Robinson Crusoe.

Daniel Defoe will put Enlightenment thought to the test in his novel, Robinson Crusoe.

John Locke will take a different approach to society and government than Hobbes, one which will eventually be very important to the United States.

Thomas Hobbes will redefine the way we understand both government and society.

As the Enlightenment expanded to different areas of Europe, thinkers continued to focus on the liberty of the individual.

Western thought will begin to shift towards universal laws and individual rights with the advent of the Enlightenment.

Out of the seventeenth century would emerge two of France’s greatest playwrights: Moliere and Racine.

The work of the major seventeenth century Christian Hebraists led to important advances in the development of the individual.

The great poets of the seventeenth century are noteworthy in their innovations in engaging with earlier literature to promote their own ideas.

There are some figures of the Scientific Revolution who stand out in the annals of history.

The Scientific Revolution will change the way humanity understands and relates to the natural world.

A series of wars in the eighteenth century will eventually lead to a newly-unified Britain becoming the dominant world power.

As culture changed across Europe, social and economic expectations shifted accordingly.

The fields of modern mathematics and philosophy owe a great deal to René Descartes and Blaise Pascal.

While the king in France amasses more power and splendor to himself, the English monarchy undergoes a drastic change.

A tiny country becomes a world power, while the son of a beheaded king restores the royal glory to his family.

Miguel de Cervantes proposes a new type of hero for an age that has moved beyond the knight in shining armor.

The first modern novel employs humor and satire to explore what it means to be an individual.

The Jewish communities of Renaissance Italy were unusual in their interactions with their Christian neighbors.

For good reason, Shakespeare is one of the most famous and most influential writers of the English language.

Arguably Shakespeare’s greatest play, Hamlet will catapult us into the modern era of literature.

Modernity continues to emerge with the writings of Montaigne and Shakespeare.