In the eighteenth century, there was considerable diversity and disagreement among those known as “philosophers,” in particular such individuals as Voltiare, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and the Encyclopedists, especially Diderot, and those who stood in the “enlightened” tradition of the period, such as Hume, Lessing, Kant, and the economic theorists such as the physiocrats and Adam Smith. What they shared, however, was a critical attitude toward traditional religion and an agreement about the unenlightened character of the …showed first 75 words of 1627 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1627 total…set out on his final campaign to rewrite history, justify his actions, and leave his indelible mark. Napoleon portrayed himself champion of the freedom and democracy and Enlightened ideals of the French Revolution, and as a hero and savior of the French people. His liberal social reforms would seem to substantiate his claim, but Napoleon’s role as dictator and empire-builder may have ultimately refuted any claim he had as a child of the Enlightenment.