416. God’s is the Quarrel: the English Reformation

The Bunny pun was the most hilarious I've heard in 400 episodes!

This episode dealt with the ideas in a very balanced way. However, there were several major events which were not mentioned - the Dissolution of the Monasteries being a significant upheaval in England, and one which was done with magnificent cruelty. 

After Elizabeth Tudor usurped the throne, she instituted a police state the likes of which would only be seen again under Josef Vissarionovich Stalin and later. One has to question her claimed tolerance when she had a henchman like Richard Topcliffe as her chief enforcer and head of the secret service. A very good source for the political climate is found in: R. J. Stove, The Unsleeping Eye: Secret Police and Their Victims (Encounter Books, San Francisco, 2003).

There were penal laws for not attending church services, and priests being hung, drawn and quartered for being found. These sorts of thing put a damper on Philosophical debates. The tensions in society caused by the suppression of debate would eventually explode in the English Civil War half a century after Elizabeth's death.

It looks like for the German you had an interview that talked about the links between reformation era and Leibniz, and French had an interview linking the skepticism to Descartes.  You planning on doing this for the English as well (to Bacon or Hobbes probably), and/or an interview touching on the link between Suarez and Descartes? 

Spent time trying to find Andy Wood's novel by repeatedly searching without the "u" in Neighbourhoods. I felt very silly after I realized it, but it gave me a laugh. I "hope" it gives you a smile. Thanks as always for the great suggestions. Speaking of Prof. Pink, his book on Self-determinism was tremendous and I eagerly await the follow-on volume promised. One of the more difficult books that I've read, but incredibly interesting! 

I recommend Clair Asquith’s books on Henry VIII’s take over of the English church and the English Reformation and Elizabeth I’s further take over of the English churches. Asquith also has an interesting lecture presented in the Shakespeare authorship society channel in YouTube, which lecture relates Shakespeare’s poems “Venus and Adonis” and “Lucrece” to the destruction of the traditional English church and its effects on English society. 

Hi Peter, you are still hitting it out of the park! Great stuff. My comment today is that I hope someone can help me track down the identity of the music that opens this, and many more of the English Reformation episodes. It's just so lovel! Good luck with your work.