Support Us
Five Books
 
Search
MENUMENU
  • Nonfiction
        • Art
          • Architecture
          • Art History
          • Design & Illustration
          • Fashion & Style
          • Modern and Contemporary Art
          • Photography
        • Business Books
          • How to Invest
          • Leadership
          • Marketing
        • Economics
          • Behavioural Economics
          • Development Economics
          • Economic History
          • Finance
          • Financial Crisis
          • Globalization Books
          • World Economies
        • Environmental Books
          • Climate Change Books
          • Environmental Ethics
        • Food & Cooking
          • The Best Cookbooks
          • Food & History of Food
          • Wine & Drinks
        • Health & Lifestyle
          • Death & Dying
          • Education
          • Family & Relationships
          • Happiness
          • Sex & Sexuality
        • History Books
          • American History
          • Ancient History (up to 500)
          • Modern History (1800-1945)
          • History of Science
          • Historical Figures
          • Military History
        • Language
          • English Grammar & Usage
          • Books for Learning Languages
          • Linguistics
        • Law
        • Literary Nonfiction
          • Best Biographies
          • Essays
          • Memoir
          • Artists' Biographies
          • Travel
          • True Crime
        • Music & Drama
          • Classical Music & Opera
          • Film & Cinema
          • Music
          • Theatre
        • Nature
          • The Prehistoric World
          • The Earth
          • Plants, Trees & Flowers
        • Philosophy Books
          • Ancient Philosophy
          • Ethics & Moral Philosophy
          • Great Philosophers
          • Social & Political Philosophy
        • Politics & Society
          • War
          • Feminism
          • Foreign Policy & International Relations
          • Human Rights
          • Terrorism
        • Psychology
          • Mental Health
          • Neuroscience
          • Psychoanalysis
          • Psychology Research
          • Self Help
        • Religion
          • Best Atheist Books
          • Buddhism
          • Christian
          • Islamic
          • Jewish
          • Religious History Books
        • Science
          • Astronomy
          • Biology
          • Chemistry
          • Geoscience
          • Maths & Statistics
          • Popular Science
          • Physics Books
        • Sports, Games & Hobbies
          • Football (Soccer)
          • Gardening
          • Hobbies
          • Sport & Sporting Culture
        • Technology
          • Artificial Intelligence/AI Books
          • Computing
          • Digital Age
          • History of Technology
          • Internet
  • Fiction & Literature
        • Classic English Literature
        • American Literature
        • World Literature
        • Literary Criticism
        • Literary Figures
        • Classical Studies
        • Contemporary Fiction
          • NEW Fiction
        • Poetry
        • Memoir
        • Comics & Graphic Novels
        • Fairy Tales & Mythology
        • Historical Fiction
        • Horror
        • Humour
        • Crime Novels
        • Science Fiction
        • Short Stories
        • Romance
        • Thrillers (Books)
        • Mystery
        • Fantasy
  • World
        • Africa
          • Egypt
          • Ghana
          • Nigeria
          • Rwanda
          • South Africa
          • Zimbabwe
        • Americas
          • Latin America
            • Argentina
            • Brazil
            • Caribbean
            • Chile
            • Cuba
            • Mexico
          • United States
          • Canada
        • Arctic & Antarctica
        • Asia
          • Afghanistan
          • Bangladesh
          • Myanmar (Formerly Burma)
          • China
          • India
          • Japan
          • Kazakhstan
          • Korea
          • Pakistan
          • Sri Lanka
          • Singapore
          • Vietnam
        • Australia
        • Europe
          • Belgium
          • Britain
          • France
          • Germany
          • Greece
          • Ireland
          • Italy
          • Netherlands
          • Norway
          • Spain
          • Ukraine
        • Middle East
          • Iran
          • Iraq
          • Israel
          • Syria
          • Turkey
          • Yemen
        • Russia & FSU
          • Azerbaijan
          • Georgia
          • Russia
  • Kids
        • Kids Recommend Books for Kids
        • High School Teachers Recommendations
        • Novelists Recommend
        • Ages Baby-2
        • Ages 3-5
        • Ages 6-8
        • Ages 9-12
        • Books for Teens and Young Adults
        • Best Kids Books of 2022
        • Best Books for Teens of 2022
        • Best Audiobooks for Kids
        • Prizewinning Kids' Books
        • Popular Series Books for Kids
        • History
        • Economics
        • Environment
        • Family
        • Science
        • Mental Health
  • Best Books 2022
        • Audiobooks
        • Best Books for Teens of 2022
        • Best Kids' Books of 2022
        • Best Fiction of 2022
          • Historical Fiction
          • Romance
          • Science Fiction
          • Fantasy
          • Mystery
        • Best Nonfiction of 2022
          • History
          • Politics
          • Memoir
  • New Books
        • New Science Books
        • New Climate Books
        • New Psychology Books
        • New Philosophy Books
        • New Math Books
        • New Economics Books
        • New History Books
        • New Physics Books
        • New Memoirs
        • New Biography
        • New Fiction
        • New World Literature
        • New Historical Fiction
  • Audiobooks
    • Actors Read Great Books
    • Best Audiobooks for Kids
    • Books Narrated by Their Authors
    • Best Audiobook Thrillers
    • Best History Audiobooks
  • Book Awards
    • Nobel Literature Prize
    • Booker Prize
    • Baillie Gifford Prize
    • Royal Society (science)
    • Wolfson Prize (history)
    • Walter Scott Prize
    • Arthur C Clarke Prize
    • Pushkin House Prize
    • Audie Awards
  • Experts

Philosophy Books » The Enlightenment

Most Recommended Books

Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant

“This is the greatest philosophical book of all time. This is Kant’s masterpiece…He’s interested in the limits to what we can know; he’s interested in the limits to what we can use pure reason to ascertain; he’s interested in the limits to what we can even think about. He’s interested in these limits in various different senses. On the one hand, he’s keen to approach them, to map out the limits from within by doing as much as possibly can be done through the exercise of reason; but he’s also interested in stepping up a level and looking at them from above, asking questions of principle about where these limits are to be drawn and what might lie beyond them. Of course, there’s an inevitable problem that arises there because if you’re asking questions about what lies beyond the limits of knowledge then inevitably the question arises: can you hope to know any answers to such questions? For if you claim you can, aren’t you involved in self-stultification? So, all these tensions are there throughout the Critique, and they’re part of what makes it such a fascinating read.”

Adrian Moore, Philosopher

Read more

Browse book recommendations:

Philosophy Books

  • Ancient Philosophy
  • Beliefs
  • Contemporary Philosophy
  • Ethics & Moral Philosophy
  • Great Philosophers
  • How to Live
  • Most Recommended Philosophy Books
  • New Philosophy Books
  • Philosophical Biographies
  • Philosophical Issues & Topics
  • Philosophy Books of the Year
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Social & Political Philosophy
  • The Enlightenment
  • Women in Philosophy

The Enlightenment, arguably, indelibly transformed the world’s intellectual and moral landscape. It also had serious political ramifications as its ideas helped spark revolutions in America, Haiti and France.

The idea of putting humanity at the centre of everything had started seriously in the Renaissance but came to fruition in the 18th century. There was a huge burgeoning of new interest in philosophy. The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, best expressed what lay at the heart of it. In an essay published in 1784, "What is Enlightenment?" Kant revived the ancient Roman poet Horace's dictum: 'sapere aude' or 'dare to know.' That is one view of what philosophy is: the audacity to challenge received opinion, even if that opinion is religious belief or political dogma that you put your life at risk by questioning. During the Enlightenment, philosophy could be quite a dangerous subject to publish in. That didn't seem to stop people doing it, though sometimes they did it anonymously. Some ended up living or publishing in countries like Holland, which were more tolerant at the time.

For a general overview of the Enlightenment and its significance, we have an interview with one of its leading historians, Jonathan Israel. The interviewer is Anthony Gottlieb, author of The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy, one of the best surveys of the period. 

Individual Enlightenment-era philosophers whose books have been recommended and you can read about on our site include Voltaire, René Descartes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, David Hume and Adam Smith, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Thomas Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft.

    The best books on The Enlightenment, recommended by Jonathan Israel

  • Read
    The best books on The Enlightenment - The Crisis of the European Mind by Paul Hazard

    1

    The Crisis of the European Mind
    by Paul Hazard

  • Read
    The best books on The Enlightenment - The Enlightenment in America by Henry May

    2

    The Enlightenment in America
    by Henry May

  • Read
    The best books on The Enlightenment - The Enlightenment and the Intellectual Foundations of Modern Culture by Louis Dupré

    3

    The Enlightenment and the Intellectual Foundations of Modern Culture
    by Louis Dupré

  • Read
    The best books on The Enlightenment - The Religious Enlightenment by David Sorkin

    4

    The Religious Enlightenment
    by David Sorkin

  • Read
    The best books on The Enlightenment - Democratic Enlightenment: Philosophy, Revolution, and Human Rights, 1750-1790 by Jonathan Israel

    5

    Democratic Enlightenment: Philosophy, Revolution, and Human Rights, 1750-1790
    by Jonathan Israel

  • The best books on The Enlightenment - The Crisis of the European Mind by Paul Hazard
  • The best books on The Enlightenment - The Enlightenment in America by Henry May
  • The best books on The Enlightenment - The Enlightenment and the Intellectual Foundations of Modern Culture by Louis Dupré
  • The best books on The Enlightenment - The Religious Enlightenment by David Sorkin
  • The best books on The Enlightenment - Democratic Enlightenment: Philosophy, Revolution, and Human Rights, 1750-1790 by Jonathan Israel

The best books on The Enlightenment, recommended by Jonathan Israel

Which are the best books on the Enlightenment? Jonathan Israel, one of the leading historians of early modern Europe, recommends his top five.

The best books on The Enlightenment, recommended by Jonathan Israel

    The Best Immanuel Kant Books, recommended by Adrian Moore

  • Read
    The Best Immanuel Kant Books - Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant

    1

    Critique of Pure Reason
    by Immanuel Kant

  • Read
    The Best Immanuel Kant Books - Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant

    2

    Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
    by Immanuel Kant

  • Read
    The Best Immanuel Kant Books - Critique of the Power of Judgement by Immanuel Kant

    3

    Critique of the Power of Judgement
    by Immanuel Kant

  • Read
    The Best Immanuel Kant Books - Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason by Immanuel Kant

    4

    Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason
    by Immanuel Kant

  • Read
    The Best Immanuel Kant Books - The Bounds of Sense by Peter Strawson

    5

    The Bounds of Sense
    by Peter Strawson

  • The Best Immanuel Kant Books - Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant
  • The Best Immanuel Kant Books - Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant
  • The Best Immanuel Kant Books - Critique of the Power of Judgement by Immanuel Kant
  • The Best Immanuel Kant Books - Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason by Immanuel Kant
  • The Best Immanuel Kant Books - The Bounds of Sense by Peter Strawson

The Best Immanuel Kant Books, recommended by Adrian Moore

Immanuel Kant was born in Königsberg, lived in Königsberg, and never travelled very far from Königsberg—but his mind ranged across vast territories, says Oxford philosophy professor, Adrian Moore. He selects five key texts for coming to grips with the work of “the greatest philosopher of all time.”

The Best Immanuel Kant Books, recommended by Adrian Moore

    The best books on David Hume, recommended by Simon Blackburn

  • Read
    The best books on David Hume - The Life of David Hume by Ernest Mossner

    1

    The Life of David Hume
    by Ernest Mossner

  • Read
    The best books on David Hume - An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume

    2

    An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
    by David Hume

  • Read
    The best books on David Hume - Dialogues and Natural History of Religion by David Hume

    3

    Dialogues and Natural History of Religion
    by David Hume

  • Read
    The best books on David Hume - The Philosophy of David Hume by Norman Kemp-Smith

    4

    The Philosophy of David Hume
    by Norman Kemp-Smith

  • Read
    The best books on David Hume - Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant

    5

    Critique of Pure Reason
    by Immanuel Kant

  • The best books on David Hume - The Life of David Hume by Ernest Mossner
  • The best books on David Hume - An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume
  • The best books on David Hume - Dialogues and Natural History of Religion by David Hume
  • The best books on David Hume - The Philosophy of David Hume by Norman Kemp-Smith
  • The best books on David Hume - Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant

The best books on David Hume, recommended by Simon Blackburn

Hume had a message he wanted to get out — particularly as regards skepticism about religion — but he was no proto-Richard Dawkins, says Cambridge philosopher, Simon Blackburn. He chooses the best books on (or by) David Hume.

The best books on David Hume, recommended by Simon Blackburn

    The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau, recommended by Chris Bertram

  • Read
    The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Restless Genius by Leo Damrosch

    1

    Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Restless Genius
    by Leo Damrosch

  • Read
    The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Reading Rousseau in the Nuclear Age by Grace Roosevelt

    2

    Reading Rousseau in the Nuclear Age
    by Grace Roosevelt

  • Read
    The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Rousseau: An Introduction to His Psychological, Social and Political Theory by N J H Dent

    3

    Rousseau: An Introduction to His Psychological, Social and Political Theory
    by N J H Dent

  • Read
    The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Rousseau, the Age of Enlightenment, and Their Legacies by Robert Wokler

    4

    Rousseau, the Age of Enlightenment, and Their Legacies
    by Robert Wokler

  • Read
    The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Rousseau’s Critique of Inequality by Frederick Neuhouser

    5

    Rousseau’s Critique of Inequality
    by Frederick Neuhouser

  • The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Restless Genius by Leo Damrosch
  • The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Reading Rousseau in the Nuclear Age by Grace Roosevelt
  • The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Rousseau: An Introduction to His Psychological, Social and Political Theory by N J H Dent
  • The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Rousseau, the Age of Enlightenment, and Their Legacies by Robert Wokler
  • The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Rousseau’s Critique of Inequality by Frederick Neuhouser

The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau, recommended by Chris Bertram

The 18th century composer, writer and philosopher spent his latter years “alone upon the earth, having no brother, or neighbour, or friend, or society but myself”. But he only had himself to blame, says philosophy professor and Rousseau scholar Chris Bertram. Here, he chooses the best five books on this complex man’s life and work.

The best books on Jean-Jacques Rousseau, recommended by Chris Bertram

    The Best Voltaire Books, recommended by Nicholas Cronk

  • Read
    The Best Voltaire Books - Voltaire Almighty: A Life in Pursuit of Freedom by Roger Pearson

    1

    Voltaire Almighty: A Life in Pursuit of Freedom
    by Roger Pearson

  • Read
    The Best Voltaire Books - A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary by John Fletcher (translator) & Voltaire

    2

    A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary
    by John Fletcher (translator) & Voltaire

  • Read
    The Best Voltaire Books - The Newton Wars and the Beginning of the French Enlightenment by J. B. Shank

    3

    The Newton Wars and the Beginning of the French Enlightenment
    by J. B. Shank

  • Read
    The Best Voltaire Books - Candide by Roger Pearson (translator) & Voltaire

    4

    Candide
    by Roger Pearson (translator) & Voltaire

  • Read
    The Best Voltaire Books - Reinventing Voltaire: The Politics of Commemoration in Nineteenth-Century France by Stephen Bird

    5

    Reinventing Voltaire: The Politics of Commemoration in Nineteenth-Century France
    by Stephen Bird

  • The Best Voltaire Books - Voltaire Almighty: A Life in Pursuit of Freedom by Roger Pearson
  • The Best Voltaire Books - A Pocket Philosophical Dictionary by John Fletcher (translator) & Voltaire
  • The Best Voltaire Books - The Newton Wars and the Beginning of the French Enlightenment by J. B. Shank
  • The Best Voltaire Books - Candide by Roger Pearson (translator) & Voltaire
  • The Best Voltaire Books - Reinventing Voltaire: The Politics of Commemoration in Nineteenth-Century France by Stephen Bird

The Best Voltaire Books, recommended by Nicholas Cronk

The eighteenth-century philosopher wielded his powers of ridicule and witticism against religious fanatics—but always championed free speech and religious toleration. He was also a historian, scientist, poet, playwright, and political activist. Nicholas Cronk, General Editor of the Complete Works of Voltaire gives a detailed look at the polymathic philosophe.

The Best Voltaire Books, recommended by Nicholas Cronk

    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity, recommended by Philip Ball

  • Read
    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - Wonders and the Order of Nature by Lorraine Daston and Katharine Park

    1

    Wonders and the Order of Nature
    by Lorraine Daston and Katharine Park

  • Read
    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - Science and the Secrets of Nature by William Eamon

    2

    Science and the Secrets of Nature
    by William Eamon

  • Read
    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - The History of Magic and Experimental Science by Lynn Thorndike

    3

    The History of Magic and Experimental Science
    by Lynn Thorndike

  • Read
    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes

    4

    The Age of Wonder
    by Richard Holmes

  • Read
    The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - The Rosicrucian Enlightenment by Frances Yates

    5

    The Rosicrucian Enlightenment
    by Frances Yates

  • The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - Wonders and the Order of Nature by Lorraine Daston and Katharine Park
  • The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - Science and the Secrets of Nature by William Eamon
  • The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - The History of Magic and Experimental Science by Lynn Thorndike
  • The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes
  • The best books on The Origins of Curiosity - The Rosicrucian Enlightenment by Frances Yates

The best books on The Origins of Curiosity, recommended by Philip Ball

Modern science emerged only when it became acceptable to ask any question about anything – and that required erosion of traditional hierarchies, says the science writer

The best books on The Origins of Curiosity, recommended by Philip Ball

    The best books on The Enlightenment, recommended by Sophie Gee

  • Read
    The best books on The Enlightenment - Opticks by Sir Isaac Newton

    1

    Opticks
    by Sir Isaac Newton

  • Read
    The best books on The Enlightenment - An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke

    2

    An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
    by John Locke

  • Read
    The best books on The Enlightenment - An Answer to the Question by Immanuel Kant

    3

    An Answer to the Question
    by Immanuel Kant

  • Read
    The best books on The Enlightenment - The Foucault Reader by Michel Foucault

    4

    The Foucault Reader
    by Michel Foucault

  • Read
    The best books on The Enlightenment - The Order of Things by Michel Foucault

    5

    The Order of Things
    by Michel Foucault

  • Read
    The best books on The Enlightenment - City of Laughter: Sex and Satire in Eighteenth Century London by Vic Gatrell

    6

    City of Laughter: Sex and Satire in Eighteenth Century London
    by Vic Gatrell

  • The best books on The Enlightenment - Opticks by Sir Isaac Newton
  • The best books on The Enlightenment - An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke
  • The best books on The Enlightenment - An Answer to the Question by Immanuel Kant
  • The best books on The Enlightenment - The Foucault Reader by Michel Foucault
  • The best books on The Enlightenment - The Order of Things by Michel Foucault
  • The best books on The Enlightenment - City of Laughter: Sex and Satire in Eighteenth Century London by Vic Gatrell

The best books on The Enlightenment, recommended by Sophie Gee

The author of The Scandal of the Season – and Princeton University professor – gives an 18th century literature specialist’s view of the Enlightenment.

The best books on The Enlightenment, recommended by Sophie Gee

About

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand seven hundred interviews, or eight thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

Five Books participates in the Amazon Associate program and earns money from qualifying purchases.

Newsletter Contact us Privacy Policy Terms of Service Mastodon Social

© Five Books 2023

Get our newsletter