One of the more important dissents from the project of Enlightenment in the early 18th century came from Giambattista Vico (1688-1744). Vico took an evolutionary view of human history which prefigured that of Karl Marx, in that it makes strong appeals to class struggle as a mechanism for change, as well as that of Alasdair MacIntyre, in its insistence upon tradition (especially religious tradition) as indispensable part of stable society. He argued that the tendencies of Enlightenment had many inherent dangers in them and that these tendencies could lead to very undesirable consequences. (more…)
