Republic of Letters | Tag | Conversational Leadership

Wikipedia Entry: Republic of Letters

The Republic of Letters (Res Publica Litterarum or Res Publica Literaria) was the long-distance intellectual community in the late 17th and 18th centuries in Europe and the Americas. It fostered communication among the intellectuals of the Age of Enlightenment, or philosophes as they were called in France. These communities that transcended national boundaries formed the basis of a metaphysical Republic. Because of societal constraints on women, the Republic of Letters consisted mostly of men.

The Republic of Letters relied heavily on handwritten letters for correspondence.

The first known occurrence of the term in its Latin form (Respublica literaria) is in a letter by Francesco Barbaro to Poggio Bracciolini dated July 6, 1417. Currently, the consensus is that Pierre Bayle first translated the term in his journal Nouvelles de la République des Lettres in 1684. But there are some historians who disagree and some have gone so far as to say that its origin dates back to Plato's Republic.

Historians are presently debating the importance of the Republic of Letters in influencing the Enlightenment.

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The Concept of Conversation: From Cicero’s Sermo to the Grand Siecle’s Conversation David Randall (2019)

In “The Concept of Conversation,” David Randall argues conversation, often overlooked in history, profoundly shaped early modern Europe. He reveals how it transformed from elite philosophical discourse to encompass friendship, salons, the press, and even women’s voices. Challenging Habermas’s view, Randall sees conversation, not just rational public debate, as central to intellectual progress, with women … Continue reading The Concept of Conversation: From Cicero’s Sermo to the Grand Siecle’s Conversation David Randall (2019)

Salons A gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host

British Gentlemen’s Clubs ** Viennese Coffeehouses ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter In the 17th and 18th centuries, salons flourished in Paris, Vienna, and the rest of Europe. Salons were social gatherings hosted in private homes, usually by prominent women, in which men and women engaged in intellectual conversation in pursuit of knowledge. … Continue reading Salons A gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host