3:AM: You discuss the “pragmatic Enlightenment” which takes in thinkers from both France and Scotland – Hume, Smith, Montesquieu and Voltaire. You argue that this is a strand of the Enlightenment that contrasts with more idealistic figures such as Locke, Kant and Bentham. Can you sketch what this “pragmatic Enlightenment” is and why you find it attractive? DR: Yes, in my second book, The Pragmatic Enlightenment, I draw on not just Hume and Smith but also Montesquieu and Voltaire to highlight a central strand of Enlightenment thought that I argue runs directly counter to the main contemporary criticisms of “the Enlightenment.” Whereas the Enlightenment is often criticized for embracing a hegemonic form of universalism, a blind faith in reason, and an atomizing form of individualism, these four thinkers in fact exhibited the contrary virtues: they recognized the importance of context and flexibility in formulating moral and political standards, they emphasized the limits and fallibility of human understanding, and they sought a healthier and more reliable way to unite people than the traditional bonds of blood, religion, and nationalism, which they found above all in commerce. - www.3ammagazine.com