The enlightenment goes back to john locke and other philosophical figures. Locke emphasized natural law, private property, the rule of law. And that, combined with a respect for reason, a engendered a scientific revolution and technology. That combination transforms the lives of most people living in the west.
Richard Reinsch, editor of Law and Liberty and the host of the podcast Liberty Law Talk, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the Enlightenment. Topics discussed include the search for meaning, the stability of liberalism, the rise of populism, and Solzhenitsyn's indictment of Western values from his Harvard Commencement Address of 1978.