About Peace & Wisdom.org
In the 18th century, a
swelling of philosophers, scientists and artists launched the
Enlightenment. At its core, they argued that instead of relying on divine
revelation, we should closely observe the world around us and base a rational
world-view on the empirical evidence we gather. Everything good about our
world, such as the miracle of modern medicine, or the birth of human rights
movements, comes from this project.
—Johann Hari, The art of subverting the Enlightenment
As an intellectual
movement, the Enlightenment has always had a distinctly seamy side. In its
political incarnation, it was one of the factors that shaped modern-day terror.
—John Gray, Beyond good and evil
It is difficult to overstate the impact the 18th Century has had on the habits of thought of the modern West, and of its power as a symbol of ‘everything good about our world’. The writings on this website will, like Professor Gray, explore critiques of this idea, especially where it may give rise to conflict.
There are many liberal attributes associated with the Enlightenment—such as independence of mind, empiricism and tolerance. These were present in the world before the 18th century and there is no need here to question the value of these attributes.
The ideas here will have a positive as well as negative content, being informed and inspired by Buddhist philosophy and the writings of Jane Austen.
The site contains the following areas.
Making Sense…: These are a
collection of philosophical essays, including a (currently) rough
draft of a book in progress on Jane Austen’s novels.
Studies in Peace and Wisdom: A ten week seminar
series taking place at the
The Peace and Wisdom Blog: This is the discussion
forum for the website, where the above essays and talks can be discussed, as
well as shorter blog articles.
A
blog on Mansfield Park: This blog provides a series of
articles that commentate on Jane Austen's Mansfield Park.