Enlightenment—Its Origins and Implications

About this video

Tim Hull discusses the origins and implications of the Enlightenment. The idea that the Enlightenment emerged abruptly, transforming Europe from darkness to modernity, is likened to an intellectual "bolt from the blue." This belief, propagated by both secularists and religious adherents, posits a sharp break from the church-dominated past, suggesting a discontinuity between faith and reason. However, historical scholarship challenges this narrative, tracing the roots of reason and modernity back to the theological upheaval of the Reformation, where critical inquiry arose within the context of religious conviction, not in opposition to it.

Background

Produced in March 2021. Provisional captions.

Tim Hull has taught theology for many years primarily at St John’s College Nottingham and currently at the Queen’s Foundation Birmingham. He is the author of Faith and Modern Thought: The Modern Philosophers for Understanding Modern Theology (Cascade Books, 2020).