1 The Enlightenment Late 17th through 18th Centuries Historical Context The Enlightenment is also known as the Age of Reason. People of the Enlightenment were convinced that human reason could achieve many things. Professor Robert M. Kirschen’s teaching website at the University of Nevada, extracting materials from The Oxford Guide to Philosophy, this period included several essential beliefs:  Reason is man’s central capacity, and it enables him not only to think, but to act, correctly.  Both an individual and humanity as a whole can progress to perfection.  All men (including in the view of many, women) are equal in respect to their rationality and should, thus, be granted equality before the laws and individual liberty. These are considered to be natural rights, the “unalienable rights” in the United States Declaration of Independence.  Tolerance is extended to other creeds and ways of life.  Beliefs are accepted only on the basis of reason, not on the authority of priests, sacred texts, or tradition. Thus, many Enlightenment thinkers embraced deism, shorn of the supernatural and miraculous elements and designed primarily to support an enlightened moral code, and in some cases to account for the fact that the universe is a rational system, wholly accessible to human reason. For example, some of the founding fathers of the United States, most notably Benjamin Franklin, were deists. People, therefore, are able to discover the natural laws of the universe through their rationality. Local traditions that owe their development to historical peculiarities rather than to reason are devalued. Nationality is not important as all individuals are united in brotherhood with all other individuals based on the rationality all people share. (para. 2) One result of this philosophy is that, as Prof. Kirschen states, there can be unending progress in knowledge, technical achievement and moral values (2). The Death of General Wolfe, by Benjamin West, 1770 2 Many deists thought of God as the great architect of the universe and the universe itself as a machine that, once set in motion, no longer requires divine intervention. The afterlife was not the main focus of works here on earth, but for deists, the primary focus should be on one’s achievements and on finding happiness here on Earth. Another result of Enlightenment thinking is the idea of humanitarianism. According to Dictionary.Com, the doctrine states “that humanity’s obligations are concerned wholly with the welfare of the human race” (para. 2a). Before this period, people generally believed that people who were less fortunate were being punished for some offense. Therefore, helping them was, in fact, interfering with God’s will. With the Enlightenment came the idea that charitable and philanthropic activities were acceptable. Read more about the Enlightenment at the website of Prof. Paul Brians, W ...

1. 1
The Enlightenment
Late 17th through 18th Centuries
Historical Context
The Enlightenment is also known as the Age of Reason. People
of the Enlightenment were
convinced that human reason could achieve many things.
Professor Robert M. Kirschen’s
teaching website at the University of Nevada, extracting
materials from The Oxford Guide to
Philosophy, this period included several essential beliefs:
man’s central capacity, and it enables him not only
to think, but to act,
correctly.
perfection.

2. respect to their
rationality and should, thus, be granted equality before the laws
and individual
liberty. These are considered to be natural rights, the
“unalienable rights” in the
United States Declaration of Independence.
life.
authority of priests,
sacred texts, or tradition. Thus, many Enlightenment thinkers
embraced deism,
shorn of the supernatural and miraculous elements and designed
primarily to
support an enlightened moral code, and in some cases to
account for the fact that
the universe is a rational system, wholly accessible to human
reason. For example,
some of the founding fathers of the United States, most notably
Benjamin Franklin,
were deists. People, therefore, are able to discover the natural
laws of the universe
through their rationality. Local traditions that owe their
development to historical

3. peculiarities rather than to reason are devalued. Nationality is
not important as all
individuals are united in brotherhood with all other individuals
based on the
rationality all people share. (para. 2)
One result of this philosophy is that, as Prof. Kirschen states,
there can be unending
progress in knowledge, technical achievement and moral values
(2).
The Death of General Wolfe, by Benjamin
West, 1770
2
Many deists thought of God as the great architect of the
universe and the universe itself as
a machine that, once set in motion, no longer requires divine
intervention. The afterlife was
not the main focus of works here on earth, but for deists, the
primary focus should be on
one’s achievements and on finding happiness here on Earth.
Another result of Enlightenment thinking is the idea of
humanitarianism. According to

4. Dictionary.Com, the doctrine states “that humanity’s
obligations are concerned wholly with
the welfare of the human race” (para. 2a). Before this period,
people generally believed
that people who were less fortunate were being punished for
some offense. Therefore,
helping them was, in fact, interfering with God’s will. With the
Enlightenment came the idea
that charitable and philanthropic activities were acceptable.
Read more about the Enlightenment at the website of Prof. Paul
Brians, Washington State
University:
http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/enlightenment.html
http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/hum_303/enlightenment.html
3
Works Cited
“Humanitarianism.” Dictionary.Com. n.p. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
Kirschen, Robert M. “The Enlightenment Period.” Course
Handouts. University of Nevada, Los

5. Vegas. n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
West, Benjamin. The Death of General Wolf. 1770. National
Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Khan
Academy. Web. 21 Dec. 2014.