Many thinkers worth reading wrote in past centuries:

1600s: Bacon, Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz
1700s: Berkeley, Hume, Rousseau, Smith, Kant, Burke, Bentham
1800s: Schopenhauer, Mill, Sidgwick

Some of them wrote in English and their texts are usually presented in the original, even when they use archaic spelling, punctuation, and style. (This is in contrast to foreign-language works which are often translated to a modern style.)

For example, in the past there were more uses of the comma, such as

Before any relative clause:
- Dickens: “The objects he had lately pursued, turned worthless beside her”
- Melville: “This august dignity I treat of, is not the dignity of kings”
Before any clause starting with “that” for any reason:
- Austen: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that…”
After any clausal or compound subject as far as I can tell:
- J Robertson: “Whoever is capable of forgetting [...]

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First published:
January 30th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/k8tWLYinuGv5LPhJY/you-should-read-hobbes-locke-hume-and-mill-via

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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“You should read Hobbes, Locke, Hume, and Mill via EarlyModernTexts.com” by Arjun Panickssery

LessWrong (30+ Karma)

“You should read Hobbes, Locke, Hume, and Mill via EarlyModernTexts.com” by Arjun Panickssery