The Century of Light: Some Unanswered Questions

T h e C e n tu ry o f L ig h t: S o m e U n a n sw e re d Q u e stio n s J A C Q U E S B A R Z U N ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA I feel d o u b ly p r ivileged to b e a d d r essin g th is a u d ien ce tod a y, b eca u se I d o so n ot a s a m em b er o f th e So ciety fo r E igh teen th -Cen tu r y Stu d ies b u t o n in vita tio n fr o m on e o f its officer s, P r o fesso r An n Kelly. To b e su r e, I a m n ot a lto geth er a str a n ger to th e eigh teen th cen tu r y. M y o w n stu d ies b ega n w ith th a t cen tu r y a n d led to a M a ster s essa y on M on tesq u ieu , a fter w h ich a go o d p a r t o f m y d o cto r a l d isser ta tion a lso d ea lt w ith th e sa m e p er io d a n d th e sa m e m a n . Th en I m o ved on to th e th ou gh t a n d cu ltu r e o f th e n in eteen th a n d tw en tieth cen tu r ies. Bu t a s I n eed n ot tell th is gr o u p , few if a n y o f th e im p or ta n t issu es o f th a t la ter tim e w ill b e fo u n d la ckin g a r o o t o r a ger m in th e stu p en d ou s eigh teen th cen tu r y. So in r etu r n in g to it fo r th e p r ep a r a tio n o f th is p a p er , I h a ve n ot felt I w a s in a lien ter r itor y, even th ou gh I a m con sciou s o f a la r ge ign or a n ce a b o u t th e su b jects th a t h a ve la tely b een o f sp ecia l con cer n to sch ola r s in th e field . Th a t b ein g so, it w o u ld p er h a p s h a ve b een w iser on m y p a r t to d eclin e P r o fesso r Kelly's in vita tio n , sin ce I m u st con fess m yself u n a b le to a d d to yo u r kn o w led ge. Bu t it occu r r ed to m e th a t th er e m igh t b e va lu e in d eta ilin g som e o f th e q u estion s th a t a sym p a th etic o b ser ver fin d s u n a n sw er ed in th e QPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA g e n e r a l liter a tu r e. I ta ke it fo r gr a n ted , yo u see, th a t yo u r so ciety b elieves th a t sch ola r sh ip is fo r u se —fo r en ligh ten m en t, in th e eigh teen th -cen tu r y m a n n er , th r ou gh...