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Joseph A. Cannon: A world in upheaval: Sources of the Enlightenment

It would be nice if all of the previous columns on these topics could all be found in one spot. That way they could all be read like a book. I think they are interesting, but just as I really get into it, the column ends.

I'm not at all sure that ordinary people were influenced to a great extent by these philosophers (Descartes and Spinoza). Most people don't think like that usually, neither then or now.

I also think that, as was shown in the Renaissance and the Reformation, Northern Europe, much more influential in the culture of the United States, was not at all like the Latin part of Europe, the nations of France or the Italian states for example.

Mr Cannon does refer to events in England, and the questioning of, and opposition to, the idea of Divine Right kingship there, but I am surprised more emphasis has not been given so far in this series of short articles, to John Wycliff, Erasmus and so on, who I think were far more important and representative of the best of the thought of North-Western Europe, and of more interest and import to we of the United States of America or of its founding spirits.

Is this a single part of a multi-part article? It seems to end in mid-thought.

It comes to who you agree with or disagree with,

those you agree with become one's who right and most enlighted and the greatest thinkers, you uplift, and will want to them quote often,

while those you disagree with you despise, look down upon, castigate, marginalize,

the worst thing thought is people on both sides will end up quoting and getting quoted OUT OF CONTEXT,

so you can see how subjective damaging, misleading, and outright deceptive philosophies man can be.

and we give them too much credit, attribute to them way too much for knowledge and understanding, even more wisdom, that even they, in an honest moment would probably abmit they ever had.

Many may even admit they were just vomiting thoughts onto piece of paper, and didn't really know what to think.