“Louis Dupré’s study of the Enlightenment, ranging as it does over art, morality, religion, science, philosophy, social theory, and a good deal besides, is a marvel of scholarly erudition. . . . A formidably well-researched book, which would make an excellent introduction to Enlightenment ideas for the general reader.”—Terry Eagleton, Harper’s Magazine

An eminent scholar of modern culture argues that the Enlightenment―the importance of which has been vigorously debated in recent years―was a more complex phenomenon than either its detractors or advocates assume.