Essays On The Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment Essay
The Enlightenment was a period in the eighteenth century where change in philosophy and cultural
life took place in Europe. The movement started in France, and spread to Great Britain, Italy, Spain,
Portugal, and Germany at more or less around the same time, the ideas starting with the most
renowned thinkers and philosophers of the time and eventually being shared with the common
people. The Enlightenment was a way of thinking that focused on the betterment of humanity by
using logic and reason rather than irrationality and superstition. It was a way of thinking that showed
skepticism in the face of religion, challenged the inequality between the kings and their people, and
tried to establish a sound system of ethics. The ideas behind the...show more content...
Stokstad posits that these ideas have roots in the previous scientific revolution of the century before
it, with philosophers such as Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes establishing what we now know as
the scientific method based on logical reasoning, educated guesses and controlled experiments to
prove them. The astronomer Galileo Galilei confirmed a previous theory by Nicolaus Copernicus
that the sun did not revolve around the Earth and that it was the other way around–– the planets
revolved around the sun. These theories and practices went against the Church's teachings, and
Galileo in particular was forced to take back what he said on his observations. Other scientists made
discoveries on smaller scales relating to the animal kingdom and plant life, and artists were used to
convey the new–found information by painting or drawing those findings. (p. 756) With the different
revolutions and events that took place before the eighteenth century, it could be said that the
Enlightenment was just a logical progression and the next step. Like the scientific revolution before
it, the new Enlightenment era's ideas were spread both through art and through writing, in texts such
as Denis Diderot's Encyclopedia which was printed and sold to the French middle class. The
Encyclopedia held the most current ideas concerning the arts, sciences, and the merits of human
freedom. The advances as a result of the
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Essay on The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment Throughout Europe and the new American colonies in the 18th century there
was a great movement in thought. This trend that preceded the French Revolution is known as the
Enlightenment. Revolutionary writers and thinkers thought that the past held only darkness and
ignorance, they began to question everything. Enlightened thought entered, or intruded, into all
aspects of life in the 1700s. Governments were drastically reformed, art and literature changed in
scope, religion was threatened, the study of science spread, nature was seen in a new light, and
humanity evolved greatly. This new way of thinking was propelled by curiosity and observations of
society and nature. The Enlightenment was a desire for human...show more content...
Never the less, this time period sparked many important changes in thought. In countries such as
France, where the Enlightenment thrived, the Catholic Church felt very threatened by the
philosophes and their new age thinking. Through the teachings of the Bible, religion has attempted
to appease people's natural curiosities. In Genesis 1:1–31, the Story of Creation is told to satisfy
people's desire to know how they came to be. Throughout history, the Church has explained tragedies
such as the plague and miracles such as rain and harvests as divine intervention. When philosophes
of the Eighteenth Century began observing natural phenomena themselves and questioning long
accepted ideas, the Church began to worry. A country built around religion cannot survive if its
subjects lose their faith. Prior to this era, people questioned nothing that was explained by their
church. Farmers accepted bad seasons because their minister told them that they were being
punished. No one looked at nature as its own force. In fact, people feared nature because God
controlled it. People were inferior to God and the Church and had no confidence in free thought.
During the Enlightenment, people actually began looking to nature for answers; religion took a back
seat. Through this revolution of thought and the study of nature, people for the first time gained
confidence in themselves

Essay about European Enlightenment
Enlightenment
The enlightenment was the growth of thought of European thinkers in the 1600's. The spread of
enlightenment was a result of the Scientific Revolution during the 1500's and 1600's. It resulted as
a need to use reason to distribute human laws. It also came about from a need to solve social,
political and economic problems.
Joseph Priestley and Antoine Lavoisier built the framework for modern chemistry during the
enlightenment. Edward Jenner built a vaccine against smallpox, a deadly disease. These sort of
scientific successes prompted European thinkers to use reason to find laws to govern the physical
world, which they called natural laws. Natural laws are laws that govern human nature.
Two prominent "thinkers" during...show more content...
A social contract is an agreement by which they gave up the state of nature for an organized society.
John Locke had more optimistic views that Thomas Hobbes. Locke said people were basically
reasonable and moral. They had certain rights, called natural rights, which belonged to a person at
birth. These rights were life, liberty and property. In his writings, Two treatises of government, he
argued that people form government to protect their own natural rights. He believed the best type of
government is that of which had limited authority. Thus, he rejected Absolute Monarchy. Locke then
said that if the government fails its' obligations or violates people's rights, people should be able to
overthrow the government.
Baron de Montesquieu studied governments of Europe. He published the spirit of the laws. He felt
that the separation of the powers of the government was the best way to protect liberty. He felt that
each branch of government should be able to serve as a checks and balances.
In france the enlightenment thinkers were called philosophes, meaning lovers of wisdom. The most
famous of the philosophes was Voltaire. He battled inequality and injustices, with his pen. He is
famous for saying "My trade is saying what I think."
Another philosophe was Denis Diderot. He produced a 28 volume encyclopedia. This encyclopedia
helped spread Enlightenment ideas throughout Europe and across the Atlantic to the Americas.
The most controversial philosophe was Jean–Jacques

Essay on The Enlightenment
The history of Western civilization cannot be neatly divided into precise linear sections. Instead, it
must be viewed as a series of developing threads that combine, interact, and, at various intervals, take
pervasive shifts. The Enlightenment of the eighteenth century was one of these paradigm historical
shifts, challenging the traditional notions of authority by investing reason with the power to change
the human condition for the better. This ecumenical emphasis on reason and independent thought
led to an explosion of change and development across science, philosophy, religion, and politics.
Later ideologies that would shape the socioeconomic landscape of the next two centuries were
themselves shaped by the threads of Enlightenment...show more content...
Anthropological optimism pervaded the philosophical debates, however, standing in stark contrast to
the pious hierarchical philosophies of the Middle Ages. As the Enlightenment ideals of reason and
unfettered thinking were applied to the religious realm, they produced diverse effects. It does not
suffice merely to say that the time period was characterized by a universal decline in religion, for in
addition to the anti–religious diatribes of those such as Voltaire, there was a rise in several diverse
religious schools of thought. Deism, which arose in the late seventeenth century in England, was a
popular product of the search for a rational and natural religion because of its denial of God's active
involvement with the world after creation. Although many started to call special revelation and the
validity of scriptural claims into question, the rise of devotional movements such as Pietism and
Methodism exemplified the range of religious thought and practice during the Enlightenment.
Religion was going through metamorphosis, not annihilation. Politically and economically, the
Enlightenment gave birth to as wide a range of ideologies as it did religiously. The philosophical
emphasis on the potential of man led to a spectacular amount of new thinking in the areas of liberty,
natural rights, and the structure of government. Although the particular course that political thought
took during this time varied between nations,

Enlightenment Argument
The Enlightenment Period, otherwise known as the Age of Reason was a period in time when
intelligent individuals believed if given the ability to reason from God or nature, they would be able
to unveil truths and find answers in any proposed question (Background Essay). The Enlightenment
period started in France where thinkers from Britain, France and throughout Europe questioned the
eccentric traditional authority and took in the idea that humanity could be improved through rational
change. French philosopher Voltairewho appraised and promoted freedom of speech believed it
would lead to a stable society and was the best weapon against bad government. A new society
should prioritize the Enlightenment ideas of freedom of expression because there are different
groups of people who struggle to gain full access to speak up because of reasons including poverty,
racial discrimination and cultural pressure. Although a strong case could be made that freedom of
economics would be better to focus on, this argument is unconvincing because the wealth would
eventually be unevenly distributed, limiting freedom of the many unfortunate others with less luxury.
To begin with, all men are created equal and independent with their own natural inalienable [life,
liberty, property] rights to have their opinions heard. Their freedom to speak up would not only
encourage social evolution, but would also lead to better ideas and promote a world with no
misunderstandings. Henry David Thoreau once

Essay On Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a period of time when several ideas were spreading around Europe. And
many of them made change to people's way of thinking, some important ideas were: Natural Rights,
the belief that people have the right to life, liberty, and to own property. The next one is the Social
Contract, the Social Contract was an unwritten agreement to follow the law of the country and in
turn, get protection from the country. With the introduction of the idea of Equal Rights,
Enlightenment ideas were really starting to make sense. Some documents, such as the US Bill of
Rights, The Declaration of the Rights of Man, and the Haitian Constitution will prove the importance
of Natural Rights. The US Bill of Rights had mentioned the rights of the...show more content...
There was a document that told the reader of the fundamental rights that the citizen had that was
called The Declaration of the Rights of Man, and that is one of the holders of the meaning of natural
rights. Article 2 says that, "[the] aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and
[unalienable] rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression",
which means that the rights given to man, that can't be taken away, are the rights to liberty, the right
to own property, national protection, and resistance to tyranny. Sometime during 1801, the Haitian
Constitution was made, and this document took an extraordinary amount of Enlightenment ideals
into consideration, as it says in Art V, "no other distinctions exist than those of virtues and talents,
nor any other superiority than that granted by the law in the exercise of a public charge. The law is
the same for all, whether it punishes or protects", and that's what it is. So, law is equal for everyone.
So, with the evidence from three great documents/sources, I can conclude that the idea of Natural
Rights is the most important. To clarify, the US Bill of Rights, the Declaration of the Rights of Man,
and the Haitian Constitution of 1801, three essential building blocks of several important
governments, emphasize the importance of natural rights. And that's why the Enlightenment is still
important, especially

Thinkers of the Enlightenment Essay
Enlightenment The Enlightenment era was a new intellectual movement that stressed reason and
thought and the power of individuals to solve problems. Even though different philosophers
approached their goal differently, they achieved it none the less. They all approached their goal
differently due to their different upbringings, their different backgrounds, and most importantly their
different environments. A few among the many enlightened thinkers were Thomas Hobbes, John
Locke, Baron Do Montesquieu, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. While some of their idea's are not used
in modern society, they were all instrumental to the modern society we live in today. More then
anyone else Baron do Montesquieu helped shape this country today. Baron...show more content...
Without him we might have strayed to an absolute dictatorship the likes of which was suggested by
Thomas Hobbes. Enlightenment thinkers challenged authority by speaking their mind to say the
very least. They spoke their mind, instigated riots, and told people to change their own government.
The fact that they preached their mind alone without regard of consequence is enough evidence that
they challenged authority. Although many individuals were persecuted and intimidated into keeping
quiet, they were not scarred by their respective governments and it is for that reason that we enjoy
the fruits of their labor. Had they not endeavored so, and had they trembled in the face of adversity,
we might be living in a country without any centralized government at all. Despite the fact that there
were countless enlightenment thinkers, there are still many identifiable similarities between various
of them. For example Thomas Hobbes and Jean Jacques Rousseau both believed in the need for a
social contract, and in individualism. They both disagreed on how to go about these things. Thomas
Hobbes described an absolute monarchy with limited rights. Jean Jacques Rousseau on the other
hand described an democracy with unalienable rights. These two thinkers are a perfect example who
thought of different ideals, practiced them in different ways, but nonetheless helped shape the world
we live in today. Many people

The Enlightenment Essay
Newton's publication of Principia Mathematica in 1677, as well as the Glorious Revolution, paved
the way for the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment. Promoting critical thinking about the world
and about humankind, the Enlightenment based itself primarily on scientific questioning and
empirical analysis. Scientists and philosophers of the eighteenth century questioned the traditional
ideas about the universe, society, and culture, and rejected the Aristotelian worldview, skeptical
because of its lack of verifiable evidence. Denouncing God as the creator of the universe inspired the
thinkers of the time to apply the newly founded scientific method in discovering the origin of all
existence, leading to the scientific achievements of Copernicus,...show more content...
The Enlightenment's secularized emphasis on rationality, rather than religion, fueled artists' renewed
interests in classical antiquity, as the geometric harmony of classical art and architecture seemed to
embody Enlightenment ideals (Gardner 847). At the same time, the excavations of Pompeii and
Herculaneum in the mid–eighteenth century turned men's thoughts to Antiquity (Praeger 382). In
1764, Winkelmann wrote his well–known History of Ancient Art, in which he contrasted the "noble
simplicity and calm grandeur" of Ancient Greece with the "irresponsibility, extravagance, and
impertinent fire" of the Baroque period (Cumming 250). During the French Revolution, even
Napoleon Bonaparte took advantage of the stylistic potentialities inherent in the Classical Revival,
and enhanced the effect to produce the so–called Empirical style (Praeger 382). Thus the Greek
Revival became by infiltration the style of the Court (Praeger 382). Architects of the Neoclassical
period turned away from the theatricality and ostentation of Baroque and Rococo design and instead
embraced a more streamlined classicism by incorporating Romanesque themes into works, such as
blank walls except for a repeated garland motif near the top, columns, and domes. One could say that
the

Impact Of The Enlightenment
The ideas of the Enlightenment movement in Europe to America has held lasting impacts on the
United States throughout its history. Enlightenment philosophy has been assimilated into American
culture through the spread and attachment of ideas promoted by this movement. The U.S. founding
fathers, such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, paid close attention to these new ideas and
concepts being shown through the Enlightenment to use them as a representation of the new nation.
Ideas and challenges change and are expressed through thinkers of this movement took shape in the
culture and minds of Americans politically, economically, and scientifically from the 18th century to
the 20th century. "Aufklaerung" is German for the word enlightenment. This is directly translated
and defined as "clearing up". This explains the vision behind the Enlightenment movement. Before
these beliefs were carried to the United States, the movement was encouraged by the Protestant
Reformation. They wanted others to question the Catholic Church and question what they believe
there life should be. The movement led to numerous books, essays, inventions, scientific discoveries,
laws, wars and revolutions. Originally the ideas behind the enlightenment was to question the
traditional authority and to embrace the notion that humanity could be improved through rational
change. Although these are the traditional ideals, not all Enlightenment Thinkers agreed on all
aspects. Locke differed from hume,

Essays On The Enlightenment

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