The Threat to Reason
Encyclopedia
The Threat to Reason is a book by Dan Hind, published by Verso Books
.
In it he argues that the Enlightenment
has been 'hijacked' by corporate and state interests who use it to justify their activities. Their claim to represent true Enlightenment values has been used to justify a range of controversial events from the Iraq war to the need for unregulated corporations.
The central point is that the mainstream perception of the enemies of reason distracts attention from the real threat of corporate and government
corruption of Enlightenment principles.
Hind also articulates Max Horkheimer
's postmodernist idea that "the Enlightenment is authoritarian".
The conclusion to his book upholds Immanuel Kant
's view that the Enlightenment involves intellectual adulthood and making moral decisions independent of those above us in social, economic or political hierarchies. To do this, our true thoughts must be made available publicly through open access platforms. By contributing one's expertise and knowledge to the public domain, we can "become the authors of our own Enlightenment".
Verso Books
Verso Books is a publishing house based in London and New York City, founded in 1970 by the staff of New Left Review. The company claims "global sales approaching $3 million per year and over 350 titles in print," possibly making it "the largest radical publisher in the English-language...
.
In it he argues that the Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
has been 'hijacked' by corporate and state interests who use it to justify their activities. Their claim to represent true Enlightenment values has been used to justify a range of controversial events from the Iraq war to the need for unregulated corporations.
The central point is that the mainstream perception of the enemies of reason distracts attention from the real threat of corporate and government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
corruption of Enlightenment principles.
Hind also articulates Max Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer
Max Horkheimer was a German-Jewish philosopher-sociologist, famous for his work in critical theory as a member of the 'Frankfurt School' of social research. His most important works include The Eclipse of Reason and, in collaboration with Theodor Adorno, The Dialectic of Enlightenment...
's postmodernist idea that "the Enlightenment is authoritarian".
The conclusion to his book upholds Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
's view that the Enlightenment involves intellectual adulthood and making moral decisions independent of those above us in social, economic or political hierarchies. To do this, our true thoughts must be made available publicly through open access platforms. By contributing one's expertise and knowledge to the public domain, we can "become the authors of our own Enlightenment".
External links
- http://thethreattoreason.blogspot.com/
- http://www.versobooks.com/books/ghij/h-titles/hind_d_threat_reason.shtml