Islam and the Englightenment

A really excellent article in the Review this month, written by Neil Davidson - author of the also excellent book 'Discovering the Scottish Revolution'.

A timely piece (which I imagine is why they published it!), given the recent hysteria over the racist cartoons.

All interesting, but there's a particuarly useful debunking, or at least a critique, of the notion that Christianity was 'open' to the rationality and scienctific progress promised by the enlightenment. Islam is usually counterposed here, as an example of an 'inflexible' or, worse, 'intolerant' religion - unwilling to change or adapt its tenets to new realities.
















- The 'rational' inquisition


Similarly, many important Enlightenment thinkers, most famously Voltaire, absolutely despised religion and Christianity. So it's a bit unfair for that religion to take the credit for his ideas! Who would want to anyway? Voltaire was a strident anti-democrat, who favoured an enlightened despotism which would circumvent the stupidity of the masses. But, anyway.

Read Neil's article, it's a belter.