ABSTRACT
Jefferson was lucky with his style, but perhaps even more lucky with his ideas. The analysis of his philosophy leads to a disillusion amounting almost to dismay. Jefferson had the ideas of his century, and though it called itself the century of philosophers it was certainly not the century of philosophy. Philosophy, having spread into every field, had lost all distinction, and even its identity. Newton was considered a great philosopher. Franklin spoke of his discoveries in electricity as though they were discoveries in philosophy.
