Vuillemin, Alain <br/><br/>
The Makings of European Identity: “The Spirit of the Enlightenment” by Tzvetan Todorov 

 -  2008.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 43 
<br/><br/> At the heart of the sense of European identity is the contrasting legacy of ideas and beliefs that emerged from the eighteenth century Enlightenment. This is the thesis developed in “The Spirit of the Enlightenment,” a philosophical and political essay published in 2006 by Tzvetan Todorov. The radical change in thinking that was the hallmark of the Enlightenment was first of all a historical event that occurred in eighteenth century Europe and which was “responsible for the present European identity.” The author looks anew at what has been gained, at the initial impetus, at the guiding principles and the subsequent trials and tribulations of that legacy, insisting on the relevance of what he believes is “the most prestigious creation of Europe”: the ideal of an enlightened, lucid “spirit” of “free criticism.” What “the Enlightenment” also refers to is an attitude based on tolerance, reason, secularity, equality and respect for everyone’s free judgment. He concludes with an act of faith: “Europe’s identity and, therefore, its ‘willingness’ will grow only if it is based on those analyses made during the Age of Enlightenment.” It is up to Europeans themselves to fulfill this ambition.