The Paradox of Early Modern Europe

European social, intellectual, political, and economic history from the 15th to the 18th centuries, with an eye to the paradox embodied in the term "early modern." On the one hand, this is supposedly the heroic era of Columbus, Machiavelli, Newton, and Montesquieu, when Europeans became increasingly global, urban, and critical. On the other hand, this period also saw the rise of judicial torture, new regimes of discipline, colonialism, and a robust belief in the unseen world of demons, angels, and witches. We will explore the interplay of these paradoxical forces in Europe's transformation from medieval into modern. P