The Birth of the Modern Mind: The Intellectual History of the 17th and 18th Centuries
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The Birth of the Modern Mind: The Intellectual History of the 17th and 18th Centuries
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Narrated by:
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Alan Charles Kors
About this listen
Revolutions in thought (as opposed to those in politics or science) are in many ways the most far-reaching of all. They affect how we grant legitimacy to authority, define what is possible, create standards of right and wrong, and even view the potential of human life. Between 1600 and 1800, such a revolution of the intellect seized Europe, shaking the minds of the continent as few things before or since. What we now know as the Enlightenment challenged previously accepted ways of understanding reality, bringing about modern science, representative democracy, and a wave of wars, sparking what Professor Kors calls, "perhaps the most profound transformation of European, if not human, life."
In this series of 24 insightful lectures, you'll explore the astonishing conceptual and cultural revolution of the Enlightenment. You'll witness in its tumultuous history the birth of modern thought in the dilemmas, debates, and extraordinary works of the 17th and 18th-century mind, as wielded by the likes of thinkers like Bacon, Descartes, Hobbes, Pascal, Newton, Locke, Hume, Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau.
And you'll understand why educated Europeans came to believe that they had a new understanding - of thought and the human mind, of method, of nature, and of the uses of knowledge - with which they could come to know the world correctly for the first time in human history, and with which they could rewrite the possibilities of human life.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©1998 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)1998 The Great CoursesListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Birth of the Modern Mind: The Intellectual History of the 17th and 18th Centuries
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- cath haye
- 17-06-18
Loved it
An excellent and informative history on the roots and branches of modern thought. Makes me want to start it over and branch out into more research into those times.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Andrea Zuvich
- 28-04-15
Absorbing and enlightening
What made the experience of listening to The Birth of the Modern Mind: The Intellectual History of the 17th and 18th Centuries the most enjoyable?
The amount of information included in this course was excellent - even though I study all these things, I still found it fascinating and I came away thinking about the philosophical topics in a better way.
Who was your favorite character and why?
N/A
What does Professor Alan Charles Kors bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Some other reviewers have been overly harsh about Professor Kors’s delivery and pronunciation. It’s a lecture series and he has a regional accent. Get over it. Honestly, some of the negative reviews nearly made me refrain from purchasing the series altogether and I’m glad I didn’t do that. I would have missed out. I actually find the professor’s pronunciation quite endearing really. And anyway, it’s supposed to be about the content – and that is great. Professor Kors obviously has a lifelong passion for the intellectual history of the 17th and 18th centuries and his enthusiasm is wonderful to listen to.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Victoria C.
- 01-09-24
Passion for the Subject
Excellent series of lectures & well narrated by the scholars themselves -thoroughly enjoyed & learned a lot from this one & most of the Great Courses lectures/audio'books' I've downloaded.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 08-05-23
An exceptionally enjoyable course
This is one of the very best lecture series I have ever listened to. Very informative; both sweeping and precise; often funny. On par with the lectures of the great Isaiah Berlin.
PS. I highly recommend also Prof Kors’ series on Voltaire. An wonderfully personal companion to this more general view!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Julie Mee
- 23-07-23
Excellent. Engaging, informative & worthwhile
A brilliant piece of work by Professor Kors for anyone wishing to understand the roots of modern thinking in the sciences, philosophy, sociology, law and the liberal arts.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- stefan jones
- 30-07-21
Amazing
I enjoyed this from beginning to end!!
The narration was wonderful, I can not recommend more highly!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jenny Barnes
- 30-10-23
I was sad when it ended
very interesting, inspiring and enjoyable
I now have to pad this review out to over 15 words in order to submit.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Scott Matthews
- 16-08-19
Great course; great teacher.
Alan Kors is a superb teacher whose goal is to bring the most critical debates of human history back to life. In terms of his knowledge in the area he has few peers but his delivery and clarity makes this an outstanding course and one of the very best I’ve listened to. The accompanying notes are also outstanding. Thank you Prof. Kors!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- tony
- 27-08-22
worth it
I was un 2 minds to listen to this. I questioned how this subject matter could possibly benefit me. It was more personally beneficial than I could have ever predicted
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