History and Nature in the Enlightenment - Praise of the Mastery of Nature in Eighteenth-Century Historical Literature

The mastery of nature was viewed by eighteenth-century historians as an important measure of the progress of civilization. This book discusses this topic in connection with the mainstream religious, political, and philosophical elements of Enlightenment culture. It considers works by figures that include Edward Gibbon, Voltaire, Herder, Vico, Rayna