Our list of some of the best Enlightenment books & series in recent years. Get inspired by one or more of the following books.
1. Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress (2019)
If you think the world is coming to an end, think again: people are living longer, healthier, freer, and happier lives, and while our problems are formidable, the solutions lie in the Enlightenment ideal of using reason and science.Is the world really falling apart? Is the ideal of progress obsolete? In this elegant assessment of the human condition in the third millennium, cognitive scientist and public intellectual Steven Pinker urges us to step back from the gory headlines and prophecies of doom, which play to our psychological biases. Instead, follow the data: In seventy-five jaw-dropping graphs, Pinker shows that life,…
2. The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy (2017)
One of Slate’s 10 Best Books of the YearAnthony Gottlieb’s landmark The Dream of Reason and its sequel challenge Bertrand Russell’s classic as the definitive history of Western philosophy.Western philosophy is now two and a half millennia old, but much of it came in just two staccato bursts, each lasting only about 150 years. In his landmark survey of Western philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance, The Dream of Reason, Anthony Gottlieb documented the first burst, which came in the Athens of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Now, in his sequel, The Dream of Enlightenment, Gottlieb expertly navigates a second great…
3. The Enlightenment of Bees (2019)
“I combed through the pages with delight. This book is going to cause a real buzz.” —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling authorSometimes a shattered dream leads to an amazing journey. At twenty-six, apprentice baker Mia West has her entire life planned out: a Craftsman cottage in Seattle, a job baking at The Butter Emporium, and her first love—her boyfriend, Ethan—by her side. But when Ethan declares he “needs some space,” Mia’s carefully planned future crumbles. Feeling adrift, Mia joins her vivacious housemate Rosie on a humanitarian trip…
4. On the Path to Enlightenment: Heart Advice from the Great Tibetan Masters (2013)
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche inspired Matthieu Ricard to create this anthology by telling him that “when we come to appreciate the depth of the view of the eight great traditions [of Tibetan Buddhism] and also see that they all lead to the same goal without contradicting each other, we think, ‘Only ignorance can lead us to adopt a sectarian view.’” Ricard has selected and translated some of the most profound and inspiring teachings from across these traditions. The selected teachings are taken from the sources of the traditions,…
5. The Enlightenment: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture) (2016)
Gain insight into The Enlightenment from the era’s most influential thinkers as Enlightenment explores the impact this time period had on the political, religious, and educational landscape of the day….
6. Dialectic of Enlightenment (Cultural Memory in the Present) (2007)
Dialectic of Enlightenment is undoubtedly the most influential publication of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. Written during the Second World War and circulated privately, it appeared in a printed edition in Amsterdam in 1947. “What we had set out to do,” the authors write in the Preface, “was nothing less than to explain why humanity, instead of entering a truly human state, is sinking into a new kind of barbarism.” Yet the work goes far beyond a mere critique of contemporary events. Historically remote developments, indeed, the birth of Western history and of subjectivity itself out of the struggle against natural forces, as…
7. The Portable Enlightenment Reader (Portable Library) (1995)
The Age of Enlightenment of the 18th century, also called the Age of Reason, was so named for an intellectual movement that shook the foundations of Western civilization. In championing radical ideas such as individual liberty and an empirical appraisal of the universe through rational inquiry and natural experience, Enlightenment philosophers in Europe and America planted the seeds for modern liberalism, cultural humanism, science and technology, and laissez-faire Capitalism This volume brings together works from this era, with more than 100 selections from a range of sources. It includes examples by Kant, Diderot, Voltaire,…
8. I Am: A Journey To Spiritual Enlightenment (2011)
I Am is the bestselling book reflecting a 3-year spiritual adventure with enlightened masters through South Africa, Egypt, Bhutan, The Maldives, Italy and Peru. The profound teachings point the way to love, peace, bliss and freedom, encouraging a transformation of consciousness and spiritual awakening. My books I Am and Heart Song form the essential foundation to the advanced teachings in the rest of the books. I recommend reading those books first then progressing with They Walk Among Us and The Other Side.Stephen Shaw is a Spiritual Teacher and Author. His bestselling books…
9. The Science of Enlightenment: How Meditation Works (2018)
Enlightenment―is it a myth or is it real? Across time and culture, inner explorers have discovered that the liberated state is a natural experience, as real as the sensations you are having right now. Few teachers achieve clarity with the application of scientific inquiry to these states of consciousness like Shinzen Young. Now in paperback, The Science of Enlightenment makes Young’s essential insights available to readers everywhere. The Science of Enlightenment merges scientific precision, Young’s grasp of the source-language teachings of many spiritual traditions, and his…
10. The Enlightenment: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (2015)
A foundational moment in the history of modern European thought, the Enlightenment continues to be a reference point for philosophers, scholars and opinion-formers. To many it remains the inspiration of our commitments to the betterment of the human condition. To others, it represents the elevation of one set of European values to the world, many of whose peoples have quite different values. But what is the relationship between the historical Enlightenment and the idea of ‘Enlightenment’, and can these two understandings be reconciled?In this Very Short Introduction, John Robertson offers a concise historical introduction…
11. The Enlightenment (New Approaches to European History) (2013)
Debate over the meaning of ‘Enlightenment’ began in the eighteenth century and still continues to this day. This period saw the opening of arguments on the nature of man, truth, the place of God, and the international circulation of ideas, people and gold. But did the Enlightenment mean the same for men and women, for rich and poor, for Europeans and non-Europeans? In the third edition of her acclaimed book, Dorinda Outram addresses these, and other questions about the Enlightenment as controversy increases about its place at the foundation of modernity. She studies it…
12. Enlightenment Is Sexy: Every Woman’s Guide to a Magical Life (2015)
Living life from the INSIDE OUT is the only way to roll.There is a whole world inside of you waiting to be tapped into. Once you begin paying attention to your inner world (instead of non-stop focusing on trends, fashions & TV shows), once you start identifying what's working for you and what's not, once you clarify what you really want, and understand you have a choice in whether or not–and HOW–you manifest it, get ready for radical change to start happening! Because nothing short of a truly magical life is your birthright… andEnlightenment Is Sexy is your guide to living it!A few years ago, the book's author, Valerie…
13. Enlightenment Now (2018)
New…
14. Radical Enlightenment: Philosophy and the Making of Modernity 1650-1750 (2002)
In the wake of the Scientific Revolution, the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw the complete demolition of traditional structures of authority, scientific thought, and belief by the new philosophy and the philosophers, including Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau. The Radical Enlightenment played a part in this revolutionary process, which effectively overthrew all justification for monarchy, aristocracy, and ecclesiastical power, as well as man’s dominance over woman, theological dominance of education, and slavery. Despite the present day interest…
Best Enlightenment Books to Read
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Genesis and download some enlightenment books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
The Voice of Reason_A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment
Author(s): Chael Sonnen
Publisher: Victory Belt Publishing, Year: May 15 2012, Size: 3 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 1146843
The Archangel Guide to Enlightenment and Mastery: Living in the Fifth Dimension
Author(s): Diana Cooper, Tim Whild
Publisher: Hay House UK, Year: 5 July 2016, Size: 883 Kb, Download: epub
ID: 2338993
Samyama - Cultivating Stillness in Action, Siddhis and Miracles
Author(s): Yogani
Publisher: AYP Publishing, Year: 3 Nov 2008, Size: 172 Kb, Download: epub
ID: 2296861
The Gorakhnath Enlightenment: The Path to Om
Author(s): Jayraj Salgaokar
Publisher: HarperCollins, Year: 25 Dec 2018, Size: 9 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2302335
33 Keys to Ascension: A Comprehensive Guide for Ascension & Enlightenment for the Modern-Day World
Author(s): Rae Chandran
Publisher: Light Technology Publishing, Year: 23 Jan 2019, Size: 2 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2356117
Fukuzawa Yukichi’s Bourgeois Liberalism: The Betrayal of the East Asian Enlightenment
Author(s): Minhyuk Hwang
Publisher: Springer International Publishing; Palgrave Macmillan, Year: 2020, Size: 2 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2408717
Politics Without Violence?: Towards A Post-Weberian Enlightenment
Author(s): Jenny Pearce
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, Year: 2020, Size: 3 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2435181
The Birth of Modern Belief: Faith and Judgment from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment
Author(s): Ethan H. Shagan
Publisher: Princeton University Press, Year: 2019, Size: 5 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2304279
Towards Digital Enlightenment: Essays on the Dark and Light Sides of the Digital Revolution
Author(s): Dirk Helbing
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Year: 2019, Size: 4 Mb, Download: pdf
ID: 2310746
Enlightenment Thought: An Anthology of Sources
Author(s): Margaret L. King
Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company, Year: 2019, Size: 1 Mb, Download: epub
ID: 2339490
Please note that this booklist is not final. Some books are really chart-busters according to Chicago Tribune, others are written by unknown writers. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant links you could recommend? Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the list.