Oxford Political Thought Conference

by Chris Bertram on January 7, 2004

I’m off to the Oxford Political Thought Conference (programme here in Word format ) tomorrow. I’ve never been before, but I’m very much looking forward to it. Jonathan Israel, author of the monumental Radical Enlightenment is speaking, as is Michael Otsuka whose Libertarianism Without Inequality I’ve been discussing on Crooked Timber. I’m also hoping to meet up with Chris Brooke of the Virtual Stoa , who has recently blogged about both Jonathan Israel and about Sankar Muthu’s new Enlightenment Against Empire (of which I’ve read a chapter and a half and may comment on soonish).

{ 4 comments }

1

Conrad Barwa 01.07.04 at 6:23 pm

Jonathan Israel’s book on the Enlightenment is a great read, and one of the relatively few books published recently that has a high re-readibility value. His talk should be interesting, if it is anything like his writing.

2

Ophelia Benson 01.07.04 at 7:40 pm

Is it good, apart from its readability?

3

DJW 01.07.04 at 9:20 pm

Do you know if abstracts or papers are going to be made available on-line? I’m preparing a comparative political theory course and would love to get a peak at Antony Black’s paper.

4

Conrad Barwa 01.09.04 at 5:26 pm

Is it good, apart from its readability?

Well I liked it; but then I am not a professional philosopher, so I can’t assess it critically enough at an academic level. But I think it is a worthwhile read for any interested in the Enlightenment both as a historical process and as a way of thinking. It also has the merit of looking at Spinoza’s role in influencing many of the key thinkers and movements in this period; something of an untold story and of great relevance given the importance of Spinoza for later modernist thinkers.

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