A case for the Enlightenment, ten essays

The message of these essays is that the Enlightenment should not be regarded as a revolutionary programme for the future. The philosophers of the Enlightenment hoped to educate individuals in the light of modern science according to Kant's adage: Aude sapere and did not want to change the structure of society.

F. L. van Holthoon is emeritus professor of social history in the University of Groningen.