{"product_id":"limits-of-optimism-maurizio-valsania-9780813931449","title":"Limits of Optimism: Thomas Jefferson's Dualistic Enlightenment","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Limits of Optimism\u003c\/i\u003e works to dispel persistent notions about Jefferson's allegedly paradoxical and sphinx-like quality. Maurizio Valsania shows that Jefferson's multifaceted character and personality are to a large extent the logical outcome of an anti-metaphysical, enlightened, and humility-oriented approach to reality. That Jefferson's mind and priorities changed over time and in response to changing circumstances indicates neither incoherence, hypocrisy, nor pathology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eValsania's reading of Jefferson, the Enlightenment, and negativity helps to make sense of the many paradoxes typically associated with that eighteenth-century thinker. At the same time, it provides a corrective to the common though erroneous equation of Enlightenment thinking with rationalism and shallow optimism.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Maurizio Valsania\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0813931444\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780813931449\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Virginia Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/03\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eReference and Research Bk News\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2011 pg. 39","brand":"Maurizio Valsania","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47637153480959,"sku":"9780813931449","price":40.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_ab7f40b8-444e-4a4f-80b4-5ac1a88e9ada.jpg?v=1765114268","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/limits-of-optimism-maurizio-valsania-9780813931449","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}