An interesting reader quibble:
“Dear Derb—[Some approving remarks, then] …I am however going to quibble
with you on one point. Our revolution was not a product of the
Enlightenment, which celebrated the glory of man, and led in my opinion to
all these silly theories of human perfectability (ok, revived them). Our
revolution was a product of the Puritan and protestant revolutions, with
some of the Enlightenment mixed in (Mr. Jefferson). Our revolution
explicitly recognized that men could not be trusted with power, and religion
was the only true civilizing force that could ensure a stable republic. The
Comments
Enlightenment revolutions turned into mob rule or oligarchies specifically
because they believed in the perfectable man.”
