Both the Renaissance and the Enlightenment are gravely misunderstood in the popular imagination. The Renaissance was the culmination of a millennium of thwarted attempts to revive not just classical arts, but the classical worldview. The Renaissance achieved this with the added benefit of Christianity, which emphasized the human being as both rational and creative. To the Renaissance mind, by investigating the intricacies of the cosmos and nature, science and art only served to strengthen and clarify the relationship between the created and the Creator. The Enlightenment, for its part, was not a scientific revolution, but actually occurred during a gap in scientific progress. It seized the fruits of the Renaissance and removed God from the equation to build a worldview of cold, mechanical rationality. The French Enlightenment in particular produced some of the most horrendous practical results. With developments in AI and other technology, we currently stand on the threshold of an age that could go either way. It is in the best interests of all humanity to follow the course of the Renaissance rather than the Enlightenment. On April 26, 2026, the Rising Tide Foundation hosted special guest Adam Sedia (poet, lawyer, and essayist) who tackled these important topics. 
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