“The Pragmatic Enlightenment meets the most pervasive objections to Enlightenment liberalism by showing again and again that key figures in this tradition were not only free of the vices so often attributed to them but were actually proponents of far more nuanced and defensible views than is commonly thought. None was guilty of the hegemonic universalism, the blind faith in reason, or the atomistic individualism so often associated with Enlightenment liberalism – and with contemporary liberalism as well. In the process of showing how each of these key figures eludes the common charges, Rasmussen articulates a richly reasoned defense of a powerful but moderate brand of liberalism, one that has roots in the eighteenth century but applications for today.” -- Dr. Sharon Krause, Professor and Chair of Political Science, Brown University.