This past week in class we read a scholarly article titled Caffeine and the Coming of the Enlightenment which talked about caffeine and how it began to be more commonly used in the 1600s, and thus further caused further developments to occur.
What I found interesting in this article is that it provides insight on a few authors who have stayed awake during the middle of the night in countless occasions writing away, being energized by caffeine and lights. Some authors have developed their best work at this time of night and have been helped by none other than caffeine and artificial lighting.
The author, Roger Schmidt, also provides a counter argument for A. Roger Ekirch's Sleep We Have Lost: Pre-industrial Slumber in the British Isles scholarly article. He states that "advances in lighting technology were a response to caffeine, books, and a shift in the perception of time, rather than a primary cause." This is phenomenal to think about, specifically the different perspective that is being applied towards the advancement in lighting.
I would have never thought of this reasoning and perspective on my own and how lighting came to be a demanding necessity to live our lives. The counterargument is a big part of this scholarly article and it makes me wonder which of the two articles is true for the existence of advanced lighting!
Original picture found here: https://chocolateclass.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/the-role-of-coffee-in-the-enlightenment-revolution/
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