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Article: Common sense.(Books)(The Roads to Modernity: The British, French, and American Enlightenments)(Book Review)
- Article from:
- Commonweal
- Article date:
- January 28, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Commonweal Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Roads to Modernity
The British, French, and American Enlightenments
Gertrude Himmelfarb
Alfred A. Knopf, $25, 272 pp.
Having watched uneasily as the United States reelected a president unashamed to proclaim his faith commitments, European politicians these days frequently find themselves invoking the values of the Enlightenment, especially when simultaneously challenged at home by ever increasing numbers of Muslims immigrants. If they were to read Gertrude Himmelfarb, they would discover that there are different Enlightenments from which to choose--and that serious consequences follow once the choice is made.
An essay in ...