---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: According to Howard, “this dialectic…"
description: "\"“According to Howard, “this dialectic between Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, between the individual and the tribe, was to pervade, and to a l..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/steven-pinker-526_buddhism_according-to-howard-this-dialectic-betwe_1491223.jpg"
---

#  According to Howard, “this dialectic between Enlightenment…

![“According to Howard, “this dialectic between Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, between the individual and the tribe, was to pervade, and to a large extent shape, the history of Europe throughout the nineteenth century, and of the world the century after that.”109” quote by Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/steven-pinker-526_buddhism_according-to-howard-this-dialectic-betwe_1491223.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/steven-pinker-526_buddhism_according-to-howard-this-dialectic-betwe_1491223.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/steven-pinker-526_buddhism_according-to-howard-this-dialectic-betwe_1491223.jpg)

> ““According to Howard, “this dialectic between Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, between the individual and the tribe, was to pervade, and to a large extent shape, the history of Europe throughout the nineteenth century, and of the world the century after that.”109””

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The tension between Enlightenment rationalism and tribal impulses shaped European and global history in the 19th and 20th centuries.

**In simple terms:** Conflicting ideas shaped modern history.

Key Takeaway

Balance reason with community values.

Themes

history philosophy culture conflict

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical historical

When to use this quote

- political debates
- social movements
- education curricula

Key Concepts

Enlightenment tribalism dialectic

Questions to Reflect On

- How do modern societies reconcile these forces?
- What examples show this tension today?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on conflict can ignore cooperation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/)

## Related quotes

> [“The public education system did not promote the enlightenment of the individual, but rather suppressed critical thought and neurodiversity. It produced preformatted, standardized, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajinder-jhol/the-public-education-system-did-not-promote-the-enlightenment-of-the/)

Rajinder Jhol

> [“The road to spiritual enlightenment is an individual experience. The spiritual leader, guru, master or teacher is only a portion of that journey. Eventually,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hopkins/the-road-to-spiritual-enlightenment-is-an-individual-experience-the/)

[Gary Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hopkins/)

> [If you think about it, in the most dramatic moments of its history Europe has always turned to philosophy and, in turn, philosophy has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-esposito/if-you-think-about-it-in-the-most-dramatic-moments-of-its-history/)

[Roberto Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-esposito/)

> [In its history, Europe has committed so many massacres and horrors that it should bow its own head in shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/in-its-history-europe-has-committed-so-many-massacres-and-horrors/)

[Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/)

> [You don't have to be Jewish to understand the history of Europe in the 20th century, but it helps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/you-don-t-have-to-be-jewish-to-understand-the-history-of-europe-in/)

[Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/)

> [“He saw the marching, shouting crowd as the image of Europe and its history. Europe was the Grand March. The march from revolution to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/he-saw-the-marching-shouting-crowd-as-the-image-of-europe-and-its/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“In truth, France. Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal and England had nothing to do with Athens and the history of Rome from its earliest days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-frankopan/in-truth-france-germany-austria-spain-portugal-and-england-had/)

[Peter Frankopan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-frankopan/)

> [“For more than a thousand years this idea of the unity of Christendom, of Christendom as a sort of vast Amphictyony, whose members even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/for-more-than-a-thousand-years-this-idea-of-the-unity-of-christendom/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [The history of Europe over the last several centuries provides clear evidence of the transformative power of commerce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iqbal-quadir/the-history-of-europe-over-the-last-several-centuries-provides-clear/)

[Iqbal Quadir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iqbal-quadir/)

> [“Matthews' shout of treason in the House was no random outburst of lunacy, but the last act in an astonishing adventure: one that might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jay/matthews-shout-of-treason-in-the-house-was-no-random-outburst-of/)

[Mike Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jay/)

> [Consider the bloody history of Europe: there was a great aspiration for high culture, yet this very same culture was shaped by brutality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ori-gersht/consider-the-bloody-history-of-europe-there-was-a-great-aspiration/)

[Ori Gersht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ori-gersht/)

> [If it was Europe that gave us on the coast some idea of our history, it was Europe, I feel, that also introduced us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/if-it-was-europe-that-gave-us-on-the-coast-some-idea-of-our-history/)

[V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/)

> [In the preface to his great History of Europe, H. A. L. Fisher wrote: "Men wiser than and more learned than I have discerned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-v-ager/in-the-preface-to-his-great-history-of-europe-h-a-l-fisher-wrote-men/)

[D. V. Ager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-v-ager/)

> [“The history of Europe before the Conquest is sufficient proof that the Europeans did not have to cross the oceans to find the will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvia-federici/the-history-of-europe-before-the-conquest-is-sufficient-proof-that/)

Silvia Federici

> [The process of which I am speaking is nothing less than a conservative revolution on such a scale as the history of Europe has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-von-hofmannsthal/the-process-of-which-i-am-speaking-is-nothing-less-than-a/)

[Hugo von Hofmannsthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-von-hofmannsthal/)

## More by Steven Pinker

> [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/consistent-style-prevents-presentation-from-getting-in-the-way-of/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-ve-never-argued-that-humans-are-massively-hot-wired-what-i-was/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [As many political writers have pointed out, commitment to political equality is not an empirical claim that people are clones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/as-many-political-writers-have-pointed-out-commitment-to-political/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Since violence is largely a male pastime, cultures that empower women tend to move away from the glorification of violence and are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/since-violence-is-largely-a-male-pastime-cultures-that-empower-women/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [When it comes to explaining human thought and behavior, the possibility that heredity plays any role at all still has the power to shock.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-it-comes-to-explaining-human-thought-and-behavior-the/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Morality is not just any old topic in psychology but close to our conception of the meaning of life. Moral goodness is what gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/morality-is-not-just-any-old-topic-in-psychology-but-close-to-our/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-biblical-story-of-the-binding-of-isaac-shows-that-human-sacrifice/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Part of the bargain of being alive is that one takes a chance at dying a premature or painful death, be it from violence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/part-of-the-bargain-of-being-alive-is-that-one-takes-a-chance-at/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [In fact, without a specification of a creature's goals, the very idea of intelligence is meaningless. A toadstool could be given a genius award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-fact-without-a-specification-of-a-creature-s-goals-the-very-idea/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“The obvious cure for the tragic shortcomings of human intuition in a high-tech world is education. And this offers priorities for educational policy: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-obvious-cure-for-the-tragic-shortcomings-of-human-intuition-in-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [If you look in general at people who live in anarchy, they have quite high rates of death from either homicide or warfare or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/if-you-look-in-general-at-people-who-live-in-anarchy-they-have-quite/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“In some eras, self-control defines the paragon of a decent person: a grown-up, a person of dignity, a lady or a gentleman, a mensch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-some-eras-self-control-defines-the-paragon-of-a-decent-person-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Knowledge is a continuous fabric, in which ideas are connected to other ideas. Reason-free zones, in which people can assert arbitrary beliefs safe from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/knowledge-is-a-continuous-fabric-in-which-ideas-are-connected-to/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Explore all 495 Steven Pinker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

## More Buddhism quotes

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/)

[Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

[Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“According to Howard, “this dialectic between Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, between the individual and the tribe, was to pervade, and to a large extent shape, the history of Europe throughout the nineteenth century, and of the world the century after that.”109”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steven Pinker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/according-to-howard-this-dialectic-between-enlightenment-and-counter/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buddhism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/according-to-howard-this-dialectic-between-enlightenment-and-counter/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/steven-pinker-526_buddhism_according-to-howard-this-dialectic-betwe_1491223.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/steven-pinker-526_buddhism_according-to-howard-this-dialectic-betwe_1491223.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/890/steven-pinker-526_buddhism_according-to-howard-this-dialectic-betwe_1491223.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“According to Howard, “this dialectic between Enlightenment and Counter-Enlightenment, between the individual…” — Steven Pinker",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Steven Pinker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“According to Howard, “this dialectic between...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/according-to-howard-this-dialectic-between-enlightenment-and-counter/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/according-to-howard-this-dialectic-between-enlightenment-and-counter/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
