French Literature Reviews - 2026
Antoine Lilti, The Legacy of the Enlightenment. Ambivalences of Modernity
History, Politics and Society
(English translation by C. Jon Deloglu of L'héritage des lumières. Ambivalences de la modernité, Paris, Seuil, 2019)
Going against the grain, this refreshing book argues for a non-ideological portrait of the Enlightenment as having been, above all else, a self-critical enterprise.
The Enlightenment has come under substantial attack over the past several years, with some going so far as to recommend leaving behind its thinkers and their Eurocentric prejudices. In response, the most orthodox defenders of the Enlightenment have insisted that its values are not just foundational but indispensable and that abandoning them would mean opening the door to nihilism and relativism. For Antoine Lilti, one of the leading scholars of the French Enlightenment, both sides are wrong.
In this tactfully argued series of essays, Lilti emphasizes a non-dogmatic, non-ideological view of the Enlightenment—one that sees its legacy as a critical, attentive approach that can and should serve as its own best critic. Along the way, he engages with everyone from Rousseau and Kant to Foucault and Habermas, as well as prominent contemporary voices, such as Jonathan Israel. The result is a remarkable new reading of the Enlightenment that redraws the stakes of old debates and offers an alternative way to engage with both canonical thinkers and later scholarship that is both honest about the past and useful for the future.
The intellectual traditions surrounding the Enlightenment have long generated intense debate among historians, philosophers, and cultural critics. While some contemporary perspectives seek to distance modern thought from its eighteenth-century origins due to perceived prejudices, orthodox defenders often treat these foundational values as absolute dogmas. Within this broader scholarly discourse, discussions concerning modernity, universalism, and critique frequently revisit the legacy of canonical figures such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant, alongside later theorists who have shaped modern interpretations of reason and power.
Readers interested in the intellectual history of the eighteenth century and contemporary debates on modernity may find this translation of Antoine Lilti's work relevant. The book argues for a non-ideological portrait of the Enlightenment as having been, above all else, a self-critical enterprise. Antoine Lilti emphasizes a non-dogmatic, non-ideological view of the Enlightenment that sees its legacy as a critical, attentive approach that can and should serve as its own best critic.