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A New Yorker once declared that “Twitter” had “struck Terror into a whole Hierarchy.” He had no computer, no cellphone, and no online social media following. He was not a presidential candidate, but he would go on to sign the Constitution of the United States. So who was he? And what did he mean by “Twitter”?

The post Twitter and the Enlightenment in early America appeared first on OUPblog.

Novelists are used to their characters getting away from them. Tolstoy once complained that Katyusha Maslova was “dictating” her actions to him as he wrestled with the plot of his last novel, Resurrection. There was a story that after reading Mikhail Sholokhov’s And Quiet Flows the Don, Stalin praised the work but advised the author to “convince” the main character, Melekhov, to stop loafing about and start serving in the Red Army.

The post An educated fury: faith and doubt appeared first on OUPblog.

Throughout much of the last century, the idea that we inhabit a somehow disenchanted modernity has exerted a powerful hold in political and public debate. As the political theorist Jane Bennett argues, the story is that there was once a time when God acted in human affairs and when social life, characterized by face-to-face relations, was richer; but this world then ‘gave way to forces of scientific and instrumental rationality, secularism, individualism, and the bureaucratic state – all of which, combined, disenchant the world’.

The post For the love of reason appeared first on OUPblog.

In the history of Britain, eighteenth century Scotland stands out as a period of remarkable intellectual energy and fertility. The Scottish Enlightenment, as it came to be known, is widely regarded as a crowning cultural achievement, with philosophy the jewel in the crown. Adam Smith, David Hume, William Robertson, Thomas Reid and Adam Ferguson are just the best known among an astonishing array of innovative thinkers, whose influence in philosophy, economics, history and sociology can still be found at work in the contemporary academy.

The post Nineteenth and twentieth century Scottish philosophy appeared first on OUPblog.

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By Simon Blackburn

 
David Hume was born three hundred years ago, on 26^th April 1711.  He lived most of his life in Edinburgh, with only a few improbable interludes: one as tutor to a lunatic, one assisting in a comic-operatic military adventure, and one somewhat more successfully as Embassy Secretary, being a lion in the literary salons of Paris. Apart from these his life was devoted to philosophy, history, literature, and conversation. He is the greatest, and the best-loved, of British philosophers, as well as the emblem and presiding genius of the great flowering of arts and letters that took place in the Edinburgh of the eighteenth century—the Scottish Enlightenment. As with all philosophers, his reputation has gone through peaks and troughs, but today it probably stands higher than it ever has.

This may be surprising. Movements in twentieth-century philosophy were not, on the whole, kind to Hume. Analytical philosophy, initiated by Moore and Russell, took logic to be its scalpel and the careful dissection of language to be its principal task, yet Hume was neither a logician nor primarily interested in language. His empiricism, indeed, had echoes in the later work of the logical positivists. But he was widely regarded as having driven empiricism into a sceptical grave. Russell, for example, could assert in his History of Western Philosophy, that Hume ‘developed to its logical conclusion the empirical philosophy of Locke and Berkeley, and by making it self-consistent, made it incredible’, and this was a widely-held view. On the Continent it has usually been assumed that Hume was simply a curtain-raiser to Kant, who allegedly instructed us how to avoid his sorry descent into scepticism, on the grounds that any world in which we could find ourselves must have a nice regular structure, discernible by the light of reason alone.

There is unquestionably a skeptical side to Hume’s philosophy. But there is another side as well, that is responsible for its current standing. Hume is indeed sceptical about the power of reason to determine what we believe. But he is not sceptical, for example, about whether the sun will rise tomorrow. He just has the calm understanding that our confidence in uniformities in nature, such as this one, is not the result of logic or of any exercise of pure rationality. It is just the way our minds happen to work—as indeed, do those of other animals.

Similarly when it comes to understanding the springs of action, Hume again dethrones reason, arguing that nothing that reason could discover would motivate us without engaging an inclination or ‘passion’. He entirely overturns the Platonic model of the soul in which reason is the charioteer, controlling and steering the unruly horses of desire. ‘Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them’. We can correct mistakes about the world in which we act, and choose more efficient means to gain our ends. We may even be able to persuade ourselves and each other to alter our courses, for better or worse. But we can only do this by mobilizing other considerations we care about. These concerns, or in other words the directions of our desires, are themselves a bare gift of nature, again. Hume excelled in adding detail to this: his account of the evolution of what he called the ‘artificial’ virtues—respect for such things as reciprocity, institutions of justice, social conventions, law or government—is the grandfather of all later decision-theoretic and game-theoretic approaches to the evolution of cooperation. But it took over two centuries before this would be recognized. Only recently has Hume’s naturalism become the gold standard for everyone at the cutting edge of contemporary investigation, whether in philosophy, psychology, evolutionary psychology, anthrop

Elaine Fowler Palencia explores "The Dirty Underbelly of one of the World's Great Cities" in this review of Maureen Freely's brilliant novel Enlightenment, now in paperback: "Like a radioactive matryoshka doll, Maureen Freely’s latest novel rises out of the Cold War history of Turkey, glowing with lethal secrets nested one inside another. To read it is to open the largest doll, then the smaller doll hidden inside it, and so on, in a search for the shape of truth.

The Cleveland Plain-Dealer takes note of the new paperback edition of Enlightenment by Maureen Freely as it hits bookstores this month: "Freely, best known as an English translator of Orhan Pamuk's books, ties together a post-9/11 story that stretches back to a group of radical Turkish and American students who come together in Istanbul in the 1970s. Split up by political and social betrayals, two group members are brought together more than 20 years later in Istanbul when the husband of one is detained by U.S. Homeland Security. The St. Petersburg Times acknowledged that "the book gets too complex in trying to connect its many strands. However, Enlightenment is an important work. At a time when the European Union is seriously considering granting Turkey membership, the poor democratic and human rights record of the nation, which comes through in this book, should make European leaders wary." The Washington Post thought Freely's novel was overwhelming in its attempt to be "a psychological thriller, a murder story, a rumination on friendship and a political investigation." The paper's reviewer noted that "'Enlightenment' may be too long and, at times, too opaque to win the audience it deserves, but it is a brave, unflinching work of art" with "a story almost impossible to summarize but hard to forget. It's remarkable for its descriptions of the city (Istanbul) as it was in the 1970s and as it is now, after the breakup of the Soviet Union has released so much energy around the area. Freely is an almost perversely original writer, sharply observing the world she knows so well and upending all one's suppositions and assumptions."

Maureen Freely's novel Enlightenment has been chosen by The Washington Post as one of the Best Books of 2008. Reviewed in August 3 issue of the Washington Post Sunday Book World, Jason Goodwin wrote: "This is a story almost impossible to summarize but hard to forget. It's remarkable for its descriptions of the city as it was in the 1970s and as it is now, after the break-up of the Soviet Union has released so much energy around the area. Freely is an almost perversely original writer, sharply observing the world she knows so well and upending all one's suppositions and assumptions. One example I found touching: Her grown-up student radicals do not shower their youthful selves with middle-aged reproof; they still crackle with energy and purpose. Enlightenment may be too long and, at times, too opaque to win the audience it deserves, but it is a brave, unflinching work of art."

Maureen Freely, author of the acclaimed novel Enlightenment, will appear at the 25th annual Miami Book Fair International in November. A recent review by Natalie Boukolus in Fiction Writers Review noted: "Maureen Freely’s engaging, beautiful novel reminds us not only of the importance of history, but of its inextricability from our present-day narrative: a past never really buried but instead looming and palpable, a taste on your tongue, the acrid taste of ash."

From Jason Goodwin's review in yesterday's Washington Post: "Maureen Freely is best known as the English translator of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk, but visitors to Istanbul may well recognize her as the daughter of John Freely, an American academic who has lived in Istanbul since the early 1960s and has written many useful guides to the city and its Ottoman past. That biographical detail is significant because Enlightenment is partly an autobiography. It's also a psychological thriller, a murder story, a rumination on friendship and a political investigation. If that sounds like a lot of weight for a novel to carry, it is; and it's a testament to Freely's ability that the novel does, in large measure, succeed. . . Enlightenment is a fluent, evocative and uncomfortable read, deliberately so. Stories overlap, testimonies conflict, even the time frame is repeatedly broken and re-arranged so that it becomes difficult to know who, if anyone, is telling the truth. . . This is a story almost impossible to summarize but hard to forget. It's remarkable for its descriptions of the city as it was in the 1970s and as it is now, after the break-up of the Soviet Union has released so much energy around the area. Freely is an almost perversely original writer, sharply observing the world she knows so well and upending all one's suppositions and assumptions. One example I found touching: Her grown-up student radicals do not shower their youthful selves with middle-aged reproof; they still crackle with energy and purpose. nlightenment may be too long and, at times, too opaque to win the audience it deserves, but it is a brave, unflinching work of art."

The Wall Street Journal's Weekend Journal gives notice to Maureen Freely's novel Enlightenment in a review by Melik Kaylan, "Radical Idealists in a Hard World: "Novelist Maureen Freely tracks the lives of a handful of friends in Istanbul, half of them Turkish and half American. The novel opens in the post-9/11 present and traces back the story to the eve of a military coup in the early 1970s, when the friends are innocent teenage radicals immersed in Marxist chic. Over time, their lives and loves are ruined by traitors in their midst. It is a promising-enough scenario, one that also prompts a certain amount of ancillary curiosity. What will Ms. Freely have to tell us about Turkey, that most confusing and contradictory NATO ally? Although an American -- now based in England, where she is a senior lecturer at the University of Warwick -- Ms. Freely grew up in Turkey, where her father, John Freely, teaches physics and is the author of celebrated guidebooks about the country. She has also translated books by Turkish novelist and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk in recent years: Will her work show his postmodern influence? Part mystery story and part spy thriller, Enlightenment centers on an apparent political murder committed by the group in 1971 and the fate, 30-plus years later, of two members who disappear consecutively at a U.S. Customs checkpoint into the post-9/11 security maze."

Vikram Johri offers a consideration of Maureen Freely's Enlightenment in the St. Petersburg Times: "In spite of Turkey's claims to being a Muslim nation with the values and freedom befitting a European democracy, the truth is that the Turkish state has grown increasingly intolerant of dissent in any form. In 2006, Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk was charged with "insulting Turkishness" for referring to the 1915 Turkish genocide of Armenians. It is in this suspect climate that Maureen Freely, Pamuk's English translator, sets her novel Enlightenment. The story begins with the arrival of Jeannie Wakefield in Istanbul. The daughter of a CIA agent, Jeannie joins a group of left-wing students out of youthful curiosity and falls in love with Sinan, a charismatic young man. Then one of the group is identified as a spy of the secret police. He is chopped up and his body thrown into the Bosphorus. This has devastating consequences for the group, most of whom are arrested and tortured by the secret police. Jeannie, however, manages to escape to America. She returns many years later and reignites her love with Sinan, resulting in marriage and the birth of a child. But this is only the beginning of fresh trouble. After 9/11, Sinan's left-wing past returns to haunt him. A slew of disappearances follow, and the web of intrigue gets deeper. What role did Jeannie's father play in getting Sinan into trouble? Is Jeannie a CIA informant or just another victim of the state's repression machine? As the book draws to a nail-biting finish, ties of love and family provide obscure pointers to political affiliations and the machinations of statecraft. However, Enlightenment is an important work. At a time when the European Union is seriously considering granting Turkey membership, the poor democratic and human rights record of the nation, which comes through in this book, should make European leaders wary.

Maureen Freely, journalist, novelist and a celebrated translator of the Nobel Prize-winning author, Orhan Pamuk, is in the U.S. this week for the publication of her riveting new novel, Enlightenment. Born in the U.S., Freely grew up in Istanbul and now lives in England.

Maureen Freely, author of the forthcoming Enlightenment, will be on tour in the U.S. in May. Ms. Freely will read from her new novel at events in New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Boston, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she is a featured author at the Ann Arbor Book Festival. Stay tuned to The Winged Elephant for her complete book tour schedule!

Enlightenment gets another rave review today, this one from Library Journal: "In 1970 Istanbul, Jeannie, the daughter of an American CIA agent, falls in love with Sinan, a student radical who is alienated from America by its persistent support of Turkish corruption. Sinan is imprisoned on trumped-up charges, but years later, the lovers reunite and marry, living peacefully for a while. Then, without warning, on a visit to the States, Sinan is arrested by Homeland Security as a suspected terrorist, leaving Jeannie scrambling to reach her husband and recover their child from foster care. When Jeannie, too, disappears, a reporter unearths truths that alter our perception of all that has transpired. Maureen Freely, who has translated Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk's recent works, possesses an exceptional command of language: her sentences are so apt, they jump out at you. In this ingenious novel about appearance and reality, it is difficult to predict what will happen next or what it means, but once you start this book, you will not put it down. Strongly recommended."

Maureen Freely's novel Enlightenment has received a starred review in Publishers Weekly: "A complex, often riveting novel set in contemporary and Cold War Turkey . . . Both mystery/thriller and mainstream literary readers will be well rewarded. "

Maureen Freely, author of the forthcoming novel Enlightenment, writes an article for The Guardian on Doris Lessing and the Nobel Prize.

Maureen, who has worked closely with Orhan Pamuk as his translator during the past five years, predicts that the Nobel will change Doris Lessing's life the way she has seen it change Orhan Pamuk's. Maureen translated both Pamuk's most recent collection, Other Colors, and his Nobel Prizewinning novel, Snow. She recounts the way international limelight has drawn criticism, death threats, and even assassination attempts on Pamuk by groups that don't appreciate his political stance on such issues as the Armenian genocide. Although Lessing's situation is different, Maureen makes the point that the Nobel is for life--it is an award that changes how you are seen forever.

Maureen, a very busy humanitarian activist herself, has just returned from Turkey, where she was during the most recent attempt on Pamuk's life in January. Maureen incorporates her very personal experiences with and knowledge of Turkish politics in Enlightenment, which approaches the topics of freedom of speech and political oppression in modern Turkey.

Robert Klitzman, author of the upcoming book When Doctors Become Patients is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University. He was recently interviewed about the personal injury lawyer out of Atlanta, Andrew Speaker, who traveled to Europe after being diagnosed with a drug resistant form of tuberculosis. Here the podcast here.

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