In the light of vs In light of

Both forms are used: in (the) light of something:

Fig. because of certain knowledge now in hand; considering something. (As if knowledge or information shed light on something.)

• In light of what you have told us, I think we must abandon the project. In light of the clerk's rudeness, we didn't return to that shop.

(McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.)

Also:

in the light of or in view of. In consideration of, in relationship to:

• For example, In light of recent developments, we're postponing our meeting, or In the light of the weather forecast we've canceled the picnic, or He got a special bonus in view of all the extra work he had done.

The first two of these terms date from the late 1600s, the third from about 1800.

(AHD)

The following research with google books, though not a definitive one, shows that the expression without the article has become more common in recent decades. The expression with the article has always been the more common one, and probably still is.

From the east side of the Atlantic, the phrasing "in light of" sounds distinctly transatlantic, i.e. American English, while "in the light of" comes across as much more cisatlantic.

Thanks for the feedback and comments. So, to give some examples...

When fans of Car Talk encourage their readers to contact the Magliozzi bros with the phrase "Write them at Car Talk Plaza, Box 3500 Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA 02238" ref https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/142522294/ this sounds very American English, to my cisatlantean ears. This side of the pond, I would expect to instead hear phrases such as "write to us at BBC Scotland".

Or to pick an example that produces a comparable effect on the double, if I heard Garrison Keillor enjoin PHC listeners to "write us in care of MPR", in my head I would reflexively compare this, with phrasing such as "write to us, care of" ref http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/terms-conditions/.

They are both equally correct! I've seen and heard them used in standard written works, in movies, on news channels etc. I prefer 'in light of' as it's easier on the tongue (to me, at least).

Which is correct? "In the light of current circumstances we are unable to assist you" or "In light of current circumstances we are unable to assist you".

Your question boils down to "Why does English use "the" with an uncountable noun?"

The is often accepted as "just a word that we use before nouns" Many students think that "the" doesn't add any meaning.

The is, in fact, not only a determiner but is also a demonstrative adjective. The is closely related to "that". (That is also a demonstrative pronoun, but “the” is not.)

The directs the attention towards something that (i) is or (ii) was previously known or (iii) will be announced/described/demonstrated/defined.

To be used properly, the noun which the qualifies must be known to both the speaker and the listener:

1. The moon is in the sky -> everyone is aware of the moon and everyone is aware of the sky.

2. A cat has entered the room. The cat is black. The listener knows which cat because it has just been described/demonstrated/defined in "A cat has entered the room."

3. The cat that your mother owns is old. “that your mother owns” specifies the cat – the listener is aware of cats in general but this cat has been described/demonstrated/defined and the listener is now aware of the precise subject.

If you approached a complete stranger and said "The cat is digging up the flowers", he would ask "Which cat and which/whose flowers?" - the sentence would be meaningless to him as he would not know anything about the subject and object.

The also has a partitive effect on the noun that it qualifies. The separates its noun from other nouns of that type and also accounts for the construction in which "the" is used with uncountable nouns:

Compare: The knowledge is useful. -> The knowledge refers to some previously mentioned or implied knowledge that is useful (in those particular circumstances.) You will note that the has separated a particular section of knowledge from the general class of “anything that can be described as ‘knowledge’.”

Knowledge is useful. -> This is simply a general statement: all knowledge is generally useful in all contexts.