Republic of Letters

Republic of letters is a phrase describing the phenomena of increased correspondence in the form of letters exchanged between the influencial philosophers and other thinkers during the Age of Enlightenment. It is commonly used to denote a notion of an imaginary space where free thinking people could exchange ideas. The Republic of Letters begun as a network of private correspondence and evolved into the more complex and institutionalised system of newspapers and academic journals.

Related Topics:
Correspondence - Letter - Philosopher - Age of Enlightenment - Space - Newspaper - Academic journal

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Recently, the notion of the Republic of Letters has been revived and used to refer to new phenomenas, especially those related to the Internet, which enables even more rapid forms of communication and led to the creation of new discussion networks that function without the intermediary figure of the editor, like those of Usenet or Internet forums.

Related Topics:
Internet - Communication - Editor - Usenet - Internet forum

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