Edmund Burke's "Vindication..." was very controversial when it was first published in 1756, revised 1757. Whether this was intended to be taken seriously or merely satirical remains unanswered. There is certainly some liberties taken with historical figures & numbers exaggerated. Yet there are very interesting points suggesting that philosophical idealism is no different from religious fanaticism. The writer makes very pointed explanations that the current (in his day) situation continues the same abuse of others hiding behind societal justifications for mistreatment so as to live above everyone else. It was such as these accusations that made this book very controversial for that day, saying the current rulers were no different than the tyrants & oppressors of ancient times. Was this really meant to be pointing toward the truth hiding behind satire or something else entirely? ( )