This Very Short Introduction explores the history of the 18th-century Enlightenment movement. Considering its intellectual commitments, Robertson then turns to their impact on society, and the ways in which Enlightenment thinkers sought to further the goal of human betterment, by promoting economic improvement and civil and political justice. Offers a comprehensive and concise account of the Enlightenment intellectual movement Emphasises the geographical reach of the Enlightenment, while doing justice to the central role of French thinkers Places the Enlightenment in its eighteenth-century context Covers key thinkers such as Franco Venturi, Pierre Bayle, Jonathan Israel, David Hume, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series - over seven million copies sold