Spycraft was one of Britain’s advantages during the 2nd hundred years war. What were the other advantages Britain took into the end of the 2nd hundred years war?  Pitt hired a number of reformers who drove through unpopular reforms in communications, shipyard construction and efficiency.   There were a number of reforms that also foundered, such as trying to remove the dockyard workers’ right of CHIPS.   We also cover the career of the naval captain/intelligence agent Phillippe D’Auvergne, who, despite his name, was a major intelligence asset for Britain ..read more

A summary of the 1793-1815 period is provided along with brief descriptions of the themes we will be following. Intensity:WW1 level financial and human commitment There are many wars inside these wars Modernizing in both administration and communications Repression vs Freedom Continuities in the 2nd hundred years war Economic Warfare Small country vs large country Global impact is epically world changing France vs Britain is at the core, but often at crucial times, the great powers are distracted. The emergence of the naval hegemon The evangelical Christian origins of the movement to end the A ..read more

Newtonian philosophy, and John Locke, along with Francis Bacon has an exciting empirical philosophical package that took Europe by storm in the 1740s, with the able assistance of Voltaire.  Locke offered an epistemology interesting to philosophers, but people like Montesquieu were more taken by his description of the interaction between political players, early public choice theory.  The excitement came from the Baconian program, backed by the vivid reality of real discoveries and solutions by Boyle and Newton ..read more

The last universal genius.  There are minutes spent just lightly covering Leibniz’s contributions to science and his place in history, they are so extensive.  He is put forward as the father of  modern computing and patron saint of cybernetics.  What you may not realize is that in philosophy he was also a detective and a spy.  Then we cover his biography from the time he is a young man in Paris, the employment at the court in Hanover, and the point in his life where he changed from being an amazing student of the knowledge of his time, into becoming the creator of a ph ..read more

Spinoza’s conflicts with contemporary scientists like Boyle and Huygens center on Spinoza’s insistence on the primacy of philosophical reason over empirical experimentation and empirical reasoning.  Spinoza’s argument against Boyle’s experiments are presented. Jonathon Israel highlights the influence of Spinoza by showing that much of the Boyle’s later work, on reconciling science with religion, is a reaction to Spinoza.  And Harald makes the argument that the mutual toleration of science and religion in Britain specifically, and the extension of the idea of flexibility out of the re ..read more

Spinoza’s philosophical framework laid out, along with several points of disagreement with the moderate Enlightenment Newtonians and Leibnizians.  We get to some of Spinoza’s specific arguments with other scientists.  With Steno, he had a non rational disagreement, with Huygens, he was accused of focusing too much on reason rather then experiment which inevitably leads to error, much to Spinoza’s personal chagrin.  ..read more

We look at the tragedies of Spinoza's life.  The clique that forms around him.  The tragi comic end of his friend and mentor Van Den Enden. Primarily we cover Spinoza's views, and here we introduce the idea that we live in a fully mechanistic, fully determined world, where there is no room for free will or God's providence ..read more

The Fiscal Military State concept is a valid tool for analyzing the role of government in this era, not to imply it's an ideal form of analysis.  British central government employees, well, 90% had a taxing or fund raising function.  And 90% of funds raised were spent on war and to pay debts from previous wars. And of course we summarize the context we gained in all 3 parts ..read more

We finish up the crime issues, the bloody codes, private prosecution of crime, transportation to Australia, that we began last episode.  Then we move into the consequences of the Glorious Revolution, legitimacy and the changing role of Parliament, and Parliament as a meta institution.   We get a flavor of Joel Mokyr's coverage of intellectual property rights, with views expressed in favor of the patent system by Goethe, Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill, and valid complaints made by Charles Dickens and Charles Babbage. As usual with British institutions, we contrast them favorably with ..read more

We take a close look at local government during the 1700-1850 period.  What work happened at the parish level?   The Poor Laws, a unique British institution, are examined for their possible contribution to the Industrial Revolution.  Also, the private provision of public goods. We also look at whether a more agentic population, free to act, because unlike on the continent, they don't need permission for everything, contributes to the miracle as well ..read more