The Fallen Enlightenment

Every era has its dark and unappealing side. The Enlightenment ended with the bloody dictatorship of the Jacobins and the frenzied guillotine. Erotomania became a virtue, and famous erotomaniacs like Casanova enjoyed a pan-European fame. It was unfashionable to give birth to children, and they were sent to orphanages where they were allowed to quietly die. Jean-Jacques Rousseau sent all of his legitimate children to an orphanage, but at the same time wrote the novel "Emile," which raises important issues of free, harmonious upbringing of a person in the Age of Reason. The shadow of the era closely follows the Enlightenment. And it is not customary to speak openly about this shadow side.