The Tree of Knowledge

Commissioned by the Traverse Theatre and written by Jo Clifford while she was a Creative Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh, The Tree of Knowledge offers a fresh and insightful treatment of Enlightenment philosophies.

This première production of the play directed by Ben Harrison is both exhilarating and reflective; doing justice to Clifford’s innovative and imaginative reworking of Scottish Enlightenment figures in a collision with 21st century realities.

David Hume (Gerry Mulgrew) – philosopher of empiricism and an adamant disbeliever in life after death – alongside father of modern economics and capitalism, Adam Smith (Neil McKinven) wake up in the modern world to find themselves existing in a future determined by their own philosophies of reason and rationality. Clifford’s modern-day, “everywoman”, former Silicon Glen factory worker Eve (Joanna Tope), enlightens the two intellectuals to some of the realities which pervade the modern world - mobile smart phones, drugs for a consumer market and gay clubs.

Adam Smith’s utopian visions of a free market have been realised and communications, media, and digital technologies now provide knowledge at the fingertips of every person. However, it is a brutal world in which reason replaces tenderness, and consumerism replaces religion. The Tree of Knowledge is delightfully humorous and also deeply thought-provoking.

There are many jovial comments and comical ironies throughout the performance which make philosophical ideas accessible through light-hearted humour. Yet the use of music, lighting and film screens in the staging of the play provoke discomfort and reflect some of the more unsettling themes with which the play deals. The philosophies of Hume and Smith are not simply brought to our attention, but tested, provoked and challenged in the context of today’s society. This is a powerful play in which Clifford asks us: "Where did we go wrong?"