THERE were 500 aftershocks over the eight months following the tsunami that struck the city of Lisbon killing around 25 percent of its population. But that disaster of November 1755 was recorded in history not merely because it was so devastating. It also marked a new period in the 18th century European view of life—for from that moment on, the secular edged forward, the role of the Church became shaky, and people became more skeptical