Be sober and reasonable
Book Description
In an era when claiming direct divine inspiration could brand you as dangerous, Michael Heyd explores a fascinating chapter in the history of human consciousness. "Be Sober and Reasonable" examines how seventeenth and early eighteenth-century society grappled with individuals who declared themselves recipients of divine revelation, from prophets and millennial visionaries to alchemists and even renowned philosophers like Descartes.
This scholarly work reveals how the label "enthusiasm" became a powerful tool for dismissing those who challenged conventional religious and intellectual boundaries. Heyd weaves together insights from theology, medicine, church history, and natural philosophy to illuminate the complex reactions these spiritual claims provoked across Protestant communities.
What emerges is a compelling argument that the systematic critique of religious enthusiasm played a crucial role in shaping the Enlightenment and the gradual secularization of European thought. For readers interested in understanding how spiritual movements have historically been received and challenged, this book offers valuable perspective on the tension between personal revelation and institutional authority.
Through careful analysis of medical and theological responses to enthusiastic claims, Heyd demonstrates how the demand to "be sober and reasonable" became more than a call for moderation. It became a defining characteristic of emerging modern consciousness, forever altering how Western culture approaches claims of divine inspiration and mystical experience.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~9 hours)
🕉️ Tradition: Christianity
📄 Length: 312 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore 17th century
- ✓ Explore Médecine
- ✓ Explore Cartésianisme
- ✓ Explore Philosophie et religion
- ✓ Explore Aspect religieux
- ✓ Explore Enthusiasmus
- ✓ Explore Theologie
- ✓ Explore 18th century
