Anna Wierzbicka
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195174748
- eISBN:
- 9780199788514
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195174748.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This chapter investigates, in a historical and cultural perspective, the meaning of the word reasonable, and in particular, of the phrases reasonable man and reasonable doubt, which play an important ...
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This chapter investigates, in a historical and cultural perspective, the meaning of the word reasonable, and in particular, of the phrases reasonable man and reasonable doubt, which play an important role in Anglo-American law. Drawing on studies of the British Enlightenment such as Porter (2000), it traces the modern English concept of “reasonableness” back to the intellectual revolution brought about by the writings of John Locke, who (as Porter says) “replaced rationalism with reasonableness, in a manner which became programmatic for the Enlightenment in Britain”. The chapter also argues that the meaning of the word reasonable has changed over the last two centuries and that as a result, the meaning of phrases like reasonable man and beyond reasonable doubt has also changed. It further argues that since these phrases were continually in use for over two centuries and became entrenched in Anglo-American law as well as in ordinary language, and since the older meaning of reasonable is no longer known to most speakers, the change has, generally speaking, gone unnoticed. The chapter also shows how the meaning of the English word reasonable differs from that of the French word raisonable, and how semantic differences of this kind reflect differences in cultural ideals, traditions, and attitudes.Less
This chapter investigates, in a historical and cultural perspective, the meaning of the word reasonable, and in particular, of the phrases reasonable man and reasonable doubt, which play an important role in Anglo-American law. Drawing on studies of the British Enlightenment such as Porter (2000), it traces the modern English concept of “reasonableness” back to the intellectual revolution brought about by the writings of John Locke, who (as Porter says) “replaced rationalism with reasonableness, in a manner which became programmatic for the Enlightenment in Britain”. The chapter also argues that the meaning of the word reasonable has changed over the last two centuries and that as a result, the meaning of phrases like reasonable man and beyond reasonable doubt has also changed. It further argues that since these phrases were continually in use for over two centuries and became entrenched in Anglo-American law as well as in ordinary language, and since the older meaning of reasonable is no longer known to most speakers, the change has, generally speaking, gone unnoticed. The chapter also shows how the meaning of the English word reasonable differs from that of the French word raisonable, and how semantic differences of this kind reflect differences in cultural ideals, traditions, and attitudes.
GERTRUDE HIMMELFARB
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197262795
- eISBN:
- 9780191753954
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262795.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This chapter highlights the differences between the British and French Enlightenments by focusing upon a subject that has not received much attention: the distinctive social ethics in the two ...
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This chapter highlights the differences between the British and French Enlightenments by focusing upon a subject that has not received much attention: the distinctive social ethics in the two traditions. The political and institutional reasons for the disparities between the two Enlightenments include the differing relationship of the monarchy to the aristocracy in the two countries, of the aristocracy to the middle classes, of the central government to local government, and of the state to the church. No less important, however, were the philosophical differences. Where the British idea of compassion lent itself to a variety of practical, meliorative policies to relieve and improve social conditions, the French appeal to reason could be satisfied with nothing less than the ‘regeneration’ of man.Less
This chapter highlights the differences between the British and French Enlightenments by focusing upon a subject that has not received much attention: the distinctive social ethics in the two traditions. The political and institutional reasons for the disparities between the two Enlightenments include the differing relationship of the monarchy to the aristocracy in the two countries, of the aristocracy to the middle classes, of the central government to local government, and of the state to the church. No less important, however, were the philosophical differences. Where the British idea of compassion lent itself to a variety of practical, meliorative policies to relieve and improve social conditions, the French appeal to reason could be satisfied with nothing less than the ‘regeneration’ of man.
Anna Wierzbicka
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195368000
- eISBN:
- 9780199867653
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195368000.003.0008
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
Common sense is one of the central values of Anglo culture reflected in the English language. This chapter begins by demonstrating the importance of this value for speakers of English by examining ...
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Common sense is one of the central values of Anglo culture reflected in the English language. This chapter begins by demonstrating the importance of this value for speakers of English by examining two areas of language use: book titles and the language of the law. It then discusses the meaning of common sense in contemporary English, Thomas Reid and the origin of English common sense, and common sense and the British Enlightenment.Less
Common sense is one of the central values of Anglo culture reflected in the English language. This chapter begins by demonstrating the importance of this value for speakers of English by examining two areas of language use: book titles and the language of the law. It then discusses the meaning of common sense in contemporary English, Thomas Reid and the origin of English common sense, and common sense and the British Enlightenment.
Tita Chico
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781503605442
- eISBN:
- 9781503606456
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9781503605442.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 18th-century Literature
This book is about experimental imagination in the British Enlightenment. It tells the story of how literariness came to be distinguished from its epistemological sibling, science, as a source of ...
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This book is about experimental imagination in the British Enlightenment. It tells the story of how literariness came to be distinguished from its epistemological sibling, science, as a source of truth about the natural and social worlds. Early scientists used metaphor to define the phenomena they studied. They likewise used metaphor to imagine themselves into their roles as experimentalists. Late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century British literature includes countless references to early science to make the case for the epistemological superiority of literary knowledge, whose truths challenge the dominant account of the scientific revolution as the sine qua non epistemological innovation of the long eighteenth century. The Experimental Imagination considers traditional scientific writings alongside poems, plays, and prose works by canonical and non-canonical authors to argue that ideas about science facilitated new forms of evidence and authority. The noisy satiric rancor and quiet concern that science generated among science advocates, dramatists, essayists, and poets reveal a doubled epistemological trajectory: experimental observation utilizes imaginative speculation and imaginative fancy enables new forms of understanding. Early scientific practice requires yet often obscures that imaginative impulse, which literary knowledge embraces as a way of understanding the world at large. Reciprocally, the period’s theory of aesthetics arises from the observational protocols of science, ultimately laying claim to literature as epistemologically superior. Early science finds its intellectual and conceptual footing in the metaphoric thinking available through literary knowledge, and literary writers wield science as a trope for the importance and unique insights of literary knowledge.Less
This book is about experimental imagination in the British Enlightenment. It tells the story of how literariness came to be distinguished from its epistemological sibling, science, as a source of truth about the natural and social worlds. Early scientists used metaphor to define the phenomena they studied. They likewise used metaphor to imagine themselves into their roles as experimentalists. Late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century British literature includes countless references to early science to make the case for the epistemological superiority of literary knowledge, whose truths challenge the dominant account of the scientific revolution as the sine qua non epistemological innovation of the long eighteenth century. The Experimental Imagination considers traditional scientific writings alongside poems, plays, and prose works by canonical and non-canonical authors to argue that ideas about science facilitated new forms of evidence and authority. The noisy satiric rancor and quiet concern that science generated among science advocates, dramatists, essayists, and poets reveal a doubled epistemological trajectory: experimental observation utilizes imaginative speculation and imaginative fancy enables new forms of understanding. Early scientific practice requires yet often obscures that imaginative impulse, which literary knowledge embraces as a way of understanding the world at large. Reciprocally, the period’s theory of aesthetics arises from the observational protocols of science, ultimately laying claim to literature as epistemologically superior. Early science finds its intellectual and conceptual footing in the metaphoric thinking available through literary knowledge, and literary writers wield science as a trope for the importance and unique insights of literary knowledge.
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804763110
- eISBN:
- 9780804772938
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804763110.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History
This chapter explores the late British Enlightenment as a launching point for discussion of why some men took it upon themselves to explore women's rights. Women in late-eighteenth-century Britain ...
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This chapter explores the late British Enlightenment as a launching point for discussion of why some men took it upon themselves to explore women's rights. Women in late-eighteenth-century Britain lacked access to education, control (once married) over their property, and political representation. Like radicalism, feminism was marked by a sociability that defies easy categorization. Opposition to feminism came from Loyalists, from readers of the reactionary Anti-Jacobin Review, and from other reformers, male and female alike. Feminism also served as a badge of enlightened radicalism, a sign of a man's willingness to push late-Enlightenment precepts to the limit. Philosophical impulses mixed with religious beliefs, family dynamics, and personal encounters to convince certain men that feminism had to be bundled with their other reformist programs.Less
This chapter explores the late British Enlightenment as a launching point for discussion of why some men took it upon themselves to explore women's rights. Women in late-eighteenth-century Britain lacked access to education, control (once married) over their property, and political representation. Like radicalism, feminism was marked by a sociability that defies easy categorization. Opposition to feminism came from Loyalists, from readers of the reactionary Anti-Jacobin Review, and from other reformers, male and female alike. Feminism also served as a badge of enlightened radicalism, a sign of a man's willingness to push late-Enlightenment precepts to the limit. Philosophical impulses mixed with religious beliefs, family dynamics, and personal encounters to convince certain men that feminism had to be bundled with their other reformist programs.
Kim Tolley
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469624334
- eISBN:
- 9781469624358
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469624334.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, African-American History
Chapter 2 analyzes the influences that shaped education reform in Raleigh, from 1799—when the English émigré Joseph Gales arrived as printer of the Raleigh Register—to 1823, when Susan Nye left North ...
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Chapter 2 analyzes the influences that shaped education reform in Raleigh, from 1799—when the English émigré Joseph Gales arrived as printer of the Raleigh Register—to 1823, when Susan Nye left North Carolina to establish an independent female school in Georgia. During this period, new ideas about schooling spread across the Atlantic through networks of Enlightenment philosophers, religious groups and teaching orders, missionaries, politicians, social commentators, evangelical reformers, pamphlet writers, and teachers like Susan Nye. By analyzing Susan Nye’s academic responsibilities in Raleigh Academy, her influence on curriculum and instruction in the female department, her lay ministry in the community, and her social obligations, this chapter illuminates the work of evangelical teachers during the early decades of the Second Great Awakening.Less
Chapter 2 analyzes the influences that shaped education reform in Raleigh, from 1799—when the English émigré Joseph Gales arrived as printer of the Raleigh Register—to 1823, when Susan Nye left North Carolina to establish an independent female school in Georgia. During this period, new ideas about schooling spread across the Atlantic through networks of Enlightenment philosophers, religious groups and teaching orders, missionaries, politicians, social commentators, evangelical reformers, pamphlet writers, and teachers like Susan Nye. By analyzing Susan Nye’s academic responsibilities in Raleigh Academy, her influence on curriculum and instruction in the female department, her lay ministry in the community, and her social obligations, this chapter illuminates the work of evangelical teachers during the early decades of the Second Great Awakening.
James Noggle
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781501747120
- eISBN:
- 9781501747137
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501747120.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This book offers a new account of feeling during the British Enlightenment, finding that the passions and sentiments long considered as preoccupations of the era depend on a potent insensibility, the ...
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This book offers a new account of feeling during the British Enlightenment, finding that the passions and sentiments long considered as preoccupations of the era depend on a potent insensibility, the secret emergence of pronounced emotions that only become apparent with time. Surveying a range of affects, including primary sensation, love and self-love, greed, happiness, and patriotic ardor, the book explores literary evocations of imperceptibility and unfeeling that pervade and support the period's understanding of sensibility. Each of the four sections of the book—on philosophy, the novel, historiography, and political economy—charts the development of these idioms from early in the long eighteenth century to their culmination in the age of sensibility. From Locke to Eliza Haywood, Henry Fielding, and Frances Burney, and from Dudley North to Hume and Adam Smith, the book's exploration of the insensible dramatically expands the scope of affect in the period's writing and thought. Drawing inspiration from contemporary affect theory, the book charts how feeling and unfeeling flow and feed back into each other, identifying emotional dynamics at their most elusive and powerful: the potential, the incipient, the emergent, and the virtual.Less
This book offers a new account of feeling during the British Enlightenment, finding that the passions and sentiments long considered as preoccupations of the era depend on a potent insensibility, the secret emergence of pronounced emotions that only become apparent with time. Surveying a range of affects, including primary sensation, love and self-love, greed, happiness, and patriotic ardor, the book explores literary evocations of imperceptibility and unfeeling that pervade and support the period's understanding of sensibility. Each of the four sections of the book—on philosophy, the novel, historiography, and political economy—charts the development of these idioms from early in the long eighteenth century to their culmination in the age of sensibility. From Locke to Eliza Haywood, Henry Fielding, and Frances Burney, and from Dudley North to Hume and Adam Smith, the book's exploration of the insensible dramatically expands the scope of affect in the period's writing and thought. Drawing inspiration from contemporary affect theory, the book charts how feeling and unfeeling flow and feed back into each other, identifying emotional dynamics at their most elusive and powerful: the potential, the incipient, the emergent, and the virtual.
Günter Leypoldt
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748635740
- eISBN:
- 9780748651658
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748635740.003.0008
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
This chapter takes a look at Whitman's programmatic connection of political freedom and free verse, introducing the ‘Whig histories’ of democratic progress, and discussing liberty and culture in the ...
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This chapter takes a look at Whitman's programmatic connection of political freedom and free verse, introducing the ‘Whig histories’ of democratic progress, and discussing liberty and culture in the British Enlightenment. It studies the Whig aesthetics, US discourse, and Alexis de Tocqueville's democracy in America. The chapter also considers the relationship between romanticism and transcendentalism, before finally discussing the involvement of the Democratic Muse in the liberalist notions of variety or diversity as sources of cultural health.Less
This chapter takes a look at Whitman's programmatic connection of political freedom and free verse, introducing the ‘Whig histories’ of democratic progress, and discussing liberty and culture in the British Enlightenment. It studies the Whig aesthetics, US discourse, and Alexis de Tocqueville's democracy in America. The chapter also considers the relationship between romanticism and transcendentalism, before finally discussing the involvement of the Democratic Muse in the liberalist notions of variety or diversity as sources of cultural health.
