Great Books Ladder · High school · Grade 7–12

The Enlightenment

The 18th century, volumes 33 to 42: Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Swift, Voltaire, Diderot, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Adam Smith, the American founding papers, Gibbon, Boswell and Lavoisier.

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20 topics in 5 units. Builds on The Age of Reason. Leads to The 19th Century. Not sure this is the right course? Find your rung.

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Unit 1 Philosophers

7 topics

Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant on knowledge, government and morals.

  1. Locke: Civil Government and Toleration (being written)
  2. Locke: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (being written)
  3. Berkeley: The Principles of Human Knowledge (being written)
  4. Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (being written)
  5. Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason (being written)
  6. Kant: The Moral Philosophy (being written)
  7. Kant: The Critique of Judgment (being written)

Unit 2 Satire

3 topics

Swift, Voltaire and Diderot laugh at the follies of their age.

  1. Swift: Gulliver's Travels (being written)
  2. Voltaire: Candide (being written)
  3. Diderot: Rameau's Nephew (being written)

Unit 3 Laws, Society and Wealth

6 topics

Montesquieu, Rousseau, Adam Smith and the founding papers of the United States.

  1. Montesquieu: The Spirit of Laws (being written)
  2. Rousseau: The Discourses (being written)
  3. Rousseau: The Social Contract (being written)
  4. Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations (being written)
  5. The American State Papers (being written)
  6. The Federalist (being written)

Unit 4 History and a Life

3 topics

Gibbon's fall of Rome and Boswell's Life of Johnson.

  1. Gibbon: The Decline and Fall, I (being written)
  2. Gibbon: The Decline and Fall, II (being written)
  3. Boswell: The Life of Samuel Johnson (being written)

Unit 5 Chemistry

1 topics

Lavoisier and the new chemistry.

  1. Lavoisier: Elements of Chemistry
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