Enlightenment on Trial: The Real Lessons of the American and French Revolutions | Don Watkins

Описание: Critics of the Enlightenment point to the French Revolution and its descent into the Reign of Terror as an indictment of the Enlightenment ideals of reason and individual rights. Are they right? Did France’s revolutionaries fail because they were radical utopians who tore down tradition in the name of abstract principles? Did the American Revolution succeed because it was a “conservative” movement to protect traditional liberties? Or do the revolutions of the eighteenth century vindicate a radical commitment to Enlightenment values?

This talk was recorded live on July 5th in Boston, MA as part of the 2025 Objectivist Summer Conference and is available on the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast stream. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here: https://newideal.aynrand.org/podcasts/

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