What Is Enlightenment

What Is Enlightenment
A More Enlightened Contemporary Society What is Enlightenment?, an explication that was written
in 1784 in Prussia by the philosopher Immanuel Kant, discusses the principles that he deems to be
truths surrounding significant topics such as freedom, reason, and an individual's and/or societal
necessity to be fully mature, in terms that he described as being scholar. Here, what is most evident
is the reality that while he perceived the society as being unprepared to be fully mature, he
nevertheless held faith on his belief that an age is fast approaching when societies will truly exhibit
advances that will benefit them not only in political terms, but more so in their spiritual beliefs. As
such, the importance of this particular literary ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
As such, several were of universal relevance, in that the realities of these teachings are able to
withstand time. One of those is the truth in his claim that an individual who only teaches under a
system that has been in existence for long periods of time, and of which he merely voices out the
thoughts of his superiors, is inherently possessing a limited form of freedom. This can be proven by
one of his cases, which is the priest, wherein his authority is understandably inferior to that of the
entire organization, whereby the principles that he is able to preach must follow the pattern that has
already been sturdily set. Another aspect that makes for a strong argument in his work can be
evidenced in his prescribed motto of enlightenment, which is to "Have courage to use your own
understanding" (Kant 1). As such, any individual who lacks the bravery to be independent in his
decisions and who has learned the habit of relying on others to do the thinking for him will most
assuredly find it difficult to attain maturity, in the intellectual and emotional aspect. Despite of the
excellence and relevance of Kant's work, I tend to perceive several arguments as weak points. One
of those is his seeming generalization of religious people as being possessing of a private type of
reason. In my own viewpoint, this may prove to be a fallacy, as what can be evidenced in the
proliferation and the different denominations of
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Characteristics Of The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment refers to an intellectual movement, which started in England and gain
momentum in France in the 17th and 18th century. Ideals of this cultural movement eventually
influenced the rest of the world. The enlightenment focused on key principles such as equality,
liberty and the right to life; many ideals that modern governments centered on today. The
Enlightenment, adopted several types' philosophies about how we think and understand what's going
on around us rejecting ideals of faith alone, and embracing reasoning and rationalism. In this
assignment we were asked to choose from four political documents that are heavily influenced by
characteristics of the Enlightenment era: Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, US
Constitution and Bill of Rights, Haiti Constitutions (1801), and Haiti Constitution (1805); although,
all of these documents have their own flaws due to views of the period, I feel as though The
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen embodied more sentiments of the period.
Consisting of 17 articles, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, was strongly
influenced by the theories of the social contract and individualism expressed by Jean–Jacques
Rousseau as well as the separation of powers theory discussed by Baron de Montesquieu. I also
chose The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, because this document inspired the
making of other politic documents gobally.
Social contract is defined as the

Enlightenment Impact On Enlightenment
Science and Culture, a Significant Impact on Enlightenment Era
The Age of Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason occurred during the 18th and 19th
centuries. It was a time when European politics, philosophy, science, and communications changed
the way people embraced the fact that humanity could be improved through rational change. The
Age of Enlightenment was a time of growth and change. It paved the way for major advancements
in technology, as well as the way people viewed life. New ideas circulated, and Europe began to
change as people questioned God's place and began to reposition their Christian faith. From the
early age of Enlightenment to the peak, the Enlightenment era had a significant impact on
economics, and politics, and religion. Ultimately, the impact that the Enlightenment periods had
influencing economics, politics and religion, created a culture influenced by science and change that
jump–started a new Era. The culture change and scientific advancement created during the Age of
Enlightenment created a remarkable turning point in European history as scientists such as Isaac
Newton and writer John Locke, and female activists Mary Wollstonecraft questioned the status
queue and powerfully motivated change.
Impact of Science
Science began to make an impact during the Age of Enlightenment at the start. In the late 17th
century, scientist such as Isaac Newton and writers like John Locke began to question the old order.
People who were once believers of

Impact Of The Enlightenment On The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment
Perkins, Katherine
Per. 3
October 19, 2017
October 23, 2017
This essay discusses the enlightenment which was a time of great philosophical and intellectual
ideas that swept Europe off its feet in the 18th century. During this time people doubted the
existence of God and what the Church has to say about the laws and such. Older dogmatic
suggestions were changed in America at this time as the colonies were no longer constrained by
England. The attitudes in the colonies also changed political views through these ideas. These
political ideas include John Locke's view on why monarchs that don't protect the lives liberty and
property of the people. Or Jean–Jacques Rousseau stated that the general will of the people should
be ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Women, I argue from analogy, are degraded by the same propensity to enjoy the present moment;
and, at last, despite the freedom which they have not sufficient virtue to struggle to attain. But I must
be more explicit." (Wollstonecraft 93). What she is saying is that while men willingly bow down to
aristocracy women then must too, because they are perceived as lesser than man. Mary is trying to
tell us that women are not subservient to a man but are equals and those who don't struggle to get
their freedom do not value it. She also believes women should have an education which leads me to
my next paragraph.
Secondly, Mary Wollstonecraft believed that women are intellectuals that deserve an education.
Mary believed that appearance did not make the woman but the knowledge the obtained through
education and through education they would obtain reason. Mary thought women should be
educated if they were widowed so they wouldn't have to marry or get remarried and so they could
provide stability and sustenance to themselves and their children if any. To have at least the basic
human rights women should first obtain reason and rationality which, in Mary's opinion, is what
separates humans from animals. Mary testified that women were not slaves to their passion and
emotion but rational thinkers. Mary believed if girls were brought up with education from an early
age they would be more rational and that in this act of early educational development they should be
given the same

The Enlightenment And Rousseau's Role Of Women In The...
The Enlightenment was an era when many classical ideas about culture, governance, and the laws of
nature were challenged by brilliant philosophical minds. The whole intellectual landscape was
changing and a new emphasis on reason was placed, and it was during this time that "women
became more involved in public life through travel, conversation, reading and writing." (22) With
their increased involvement in the Salons and Masonic lodges that made up the public sphere, and in
essays, letters and novels, women were finally starting to be heard, and "their general education"
was put on the "intellectual agenda as never before." (22) But despite the growing influence of
female voices "everywhere in the Western world, women were still excluded from formal higher
education," (22) and the prevailing notion of women back then could be perfectly summed up by
Rousseau in his essay Duties of Women, where he explains that women "are specially made for
man's delight," (569) and women "will always be in in subjection to a man, or to his judgment, and
she will never be free to set her own opinions above his." (579) Even today there still isn't equality
between the sexes, but we have come a long way from the world as Rousseau describes it, and the
whole discipline of feminist studies may have never existed without the groundwork that was laid
by proud men and women alike who assert that women were more than just the property of the
husband, and were just as integral to society as their

The Enlightenment : The Power Of The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a period in the 18th century, when people were free and were more likely to
speak what they thought without fear of being looked down upon as less intellectual. Science was
being accepted as a more credible source during this, religion was very influential, but science was
gaining ground after religion always being considered the total truth and nothing else. The
Enlightenment was a great time for science it was a time when many people felt like they did not
need to twist their thoughts and discoveries into a version that could somehow fit with the Bible in
order to gain credibility with the common people at least with the educated. "Enlightenment is man's
release from his self–incurred tutelage." (Kant What is Enlightenment? 47) Tutelage was something
that held people back so much they were scared to voice their thoughts without someone else
encouraging them to do so or pushing them. The release from tutelage was a key factor in pushing
the idea of liberty, equality, and perfection in society at that time.
Reason was a key factor for why the Enlightenment's ideas were able to progress so much in that
time science had a big part in that. Scientists at the time thought that rational thought lead to the
improvement of mankind, and with science gaining credibility it was opening people's minds up as
they were now seeing things from a different perspective. The Bible's perspective is one that was
losing some credibility because it relies all on the text or

Enlightenment And Enlightenment Statement
The Treaty of Paris (1783) was a document signed between Great Britain and the United States to
end the Revolutionary War. The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783 in Paris, France.
The Treaty of Paris had been created to end the Revolutionary War and bring freedom to the United
States. The Treaty of Paris was significant because it stopped the Revolutionary War, created
borders, and made the U.S. a sovereign nation.
The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order made by President Lincoln that freed slaves
in rebellious states. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863 after the Battle
of Antietam in Maryland. The main reason why this executive order had been issued was because
slavery was still prevalent prior to January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation was significant
because it had abolished slavery in rebellious states.
Mary Wollstonecraft was a fighter for women's suffrage. In addition to being an advocate for
women's rights, she was also an English writer. Mary Wollstonecraft was known for being a part of
the Enlightenment period. The Enlightenment period had taken place during the 18th century in
Europe. Mary Wollstonecraft was important because she produced a book called A Vindication of
the Rights of Woman in 1792. Mary Wollstonecraft was also significant because she justified
women's rights for equality.
The Reformation was a movement during the 16th century that had a faction of Catholics break
away from the Catholic

The French Revolution : The Enlightenment And The...
The base of the French Revolution could be accredited to the new unconventional way of thinking
that was brought by the Enlightenment age. The French Revolution was from 1789–1799, and began
with the third estate breaking off from the Estates General due to the process of voting not being
representative of the population. Once the first estate joined the third estate, Louis XVI made it clear
that he did not approve of the National Assembly. Starting with the fall of the Bastille began the
revolution that led to the fall of the Monarchy, that include the execution of Louis XIV and Marie
Antoinette. the Broadly speaking, the French Revolution was the people of France resisting the
monarchy. Although the revolution seemed to be influenced by the thinkers of the enlightenment,
certain aspects of the revolution were inconsistent with the ideals held by enlightenment as well. On
either sides of the argument, it is plain to see that there are impacts that the enlightenment had on the
actions taken by the agents of the revolution.
A specific instance where Enlightenment ideas prevailed in the French Revolution was in the
Declaration of the Rights of Man. This preamble was created by the National Assembly to establish
a enlightenment principles as law. The first clause states, " Men are born and remain free and equal
in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good." This thought process is
closely related to John Locke and this declaration was used to

The Enlightenment Ideas And Beliefs Of The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a period where many ideas were introduced to culture. Philosophers such as
Locke, Hobbs, Rousseau, Voltaire, and Wollstonecraft worked to usher in new ideas and different
ways of thinking. These ideas and beliefs influenced society in a positive way. Each of these
philosophers had different perceptions and beliefs on how a society should function. What was their
central idea? The philosophers of the Enlightenment believed in equality and freedom and that
society could be improved either economically, socially, politically, or religiously. Adam Smith, a
philosopher during the Enlightenment, believed that each man can pursue economics to make
money for himself. Adam Smith states, "Every man...is left perfectly free to pursue his own interest
in his own way" (Doc C). Smith is explaining that everyone has the freedom to use their own ways
and methods to satisfy their needs and interests. Smith also states, "As every individual, therefore,
endeavors as much as he can both to employ his capital [money] in the support of ...industry, and so
to direct that industry that its produce may be of greatest value; every individual necessarily
[contributes to] the annual revenue of the society as great as he can" (Doc C). This statement
explains that everyone works hard both to support the economy and support themselves. People
shouldn't rely on just their economy to survive. Instead, they should work to both help the economy
flourish and to provide for themselves. He

The Enlightenment During The Enlightenment
Before the Enlightenment, France's government was too strong because it had too much power.
During the Enlightenment, many philosophers helped improve France as a whole. One specific
example would be Montesquieu. Montesquieu wrote books on many topics such as law, climate,
forms of government, and religion. Also, he traveled and explored Europe to expand his knowledge
and studied in an extensive learning program. His philosophy and writing had a great effect on
France and the people living there at the time of the Enlightenment. In the 16th century of France,
Montesquieu was born to his military–based father, named Jacques de Secondat, and his wealthy
mother, named Marie–Françoise de Pensal. ¨She brought to her husband a great increase in wealth in
the valuable wine–producing property of LaBrède¨ (Britannica Academics). The wealth of
Montesquieu´s mother gave him many privileges and opportunities that he wouldn't be able to have
access to if he didn't have the money. Also, the wealth of his family provided options for him to
travel and expand his knowledge all around Europe. In the early life of Montesquieu, there were
many social, political, and economic problems happening in France. The social problems included
the unequal treatment of the people currently staying in France at the time. The commoners of
France were treated very poorly and had absolutely no political say at all, and the nobles were
unhappy because of their loss of power and authority. An economic problem

The Enlightenment And The Enlightenment : The Age Of Reason
The Age of Reason, also known as the Enlightenment, sparked an interest in many people around
the world. People of all ages began to explore the intellectual aspects of the world that may have
been overlooked previously. People began to rationalize the natural world and the society they lived
in. Many ancient views were challenged, such as, the exact object at the center of the solar system.
For example, Nicolaus Copernicus, in 1533 made the revelation that the center of the solar system
was, in fact, the sun. This, previously stated claim of Nicolaus Copernicus became a very
contentious argument in the eighteenth century. Copernicus was a Catholic Priest, which raised
tension in the Catholic church. His findings challenged the church's teachings that expressed that the
Earth was the center of the solar system. Enlightened people decided to seek the truth. Because of
the variety of passed down information, people never seemed to question what they have been told.
The enlightenment and the multitude of discoveries led to the desire for answers. They began to use
science and technology to discover the disregarded elements of their society and the world. Along
with Copernicus, Isaac Newton became a threat to the church as well. Newton's discovery of the
gravitational pull being exerted on the Earth made him, along with many others, question their
perception of their religion. Newton's formulated opinion of religion was that God was indeed the
creator of the world along

The Enlightenment And Ideas Of The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a time of mathematical, scientific, and philosophical advancement. The
thoughts of philosophers like Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Locke inspired many, such as the
Americans. Their ideas about freedom of religion, civil liberties, free trade, and social reforms
became the basis that the Americans built their new country upon and impacted politics and culture.
Due to the advanced ideas that were emerging from Europe, religious views of the colonists started
to alter. Before enlightenment beliefs spread, the universally accepted theory was that human
suffering was inevitable. However, the new conjecture stated God set the universe in motion and
gave humans the power of reason to enable them to comprehend the orderly and complex

The Enlightenment And The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a change in the hearts and minds of men. It left a significant impact on the
world we know today and gave us great men to remember. The Enlightenment was a intellectual
movement that brought change to the views of Christianity, the importance of reason, the
understanding of nature and humanity, and the equality of man. Those of the later will be the focus
of this paper. Curiosity for understanding the natural world led to new scientific exploration as well
as new discoveries. The philosophical aspects of the period made their way into effecting politics
from its time and on. The Age of Enlightenment began in the early 17th century and officially
continued into the 18th century. The movement at the time held high praise for intellectual
developments made with its roots in reason. This was so much so that the movement was also
known as the Age of Reason. This basis that the world and humanity could be bettered through the
application of reason spread from the influence of Greek philosophy1. Greek philosophy played a
role in the development of Scholasticism, which was the questioning of scholarly Christians trying
to solve new philosophical questions2.
1 – The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Enlightenment." In Encyclopedia Britannica.
Encyclopedia Britannica Inc, 2016. Accessed June 26, 2017.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Enlightenment–European–history.
2 – Ibid
The Enlightenment was indeed and Age though as it's ideologies for the masses were swayed back
into those based upon religion. Idealism took over from Materialism, as religion became the
champion of humanitarian reform instead of reason.
The Age of Enlightenment was set to make a major impact in the scientific community. A new trend
had spread across Europe. This was a trend of questioning what the natural world was truly an
inquisitive movement seeking evidence and proof. Though there were many whom focused on
asking of the hypothetical while answering with philosophical ideology, there were also profound
scientist that would only except undeniable truths of the universe. These profound scientists which
either emerged or made their great discoveries during the Enlightenment did so because of the
cultural context of

Enlightenment And The Enlightenment
The Protestant Reformation began a period that brought about change for women throughout
Europe, which continued into the Enlightenment. Attitudes towards women remained mostly
dismissive throughout the reformation and enlightenment and doubt rose regarding their ability to
complete tasks. Men felt that giving women roles concerning housekeeping and motherhood should
be their main focus and they should excel at their simple tasks. Education for women was on the rise
in both eras as well. As for changes, the Enlightenment led to a new focus on women and gave them
a larger, although limited, role in politics and science. Spanning from the Reformation to the
Enlightenment, the vast majority of women were looked upon as useless in all situations and
scenarios besides being caretakers for families. In the upper class, however, many wet nurses were
hired to feed children, but this was still work for women. The majority of husbands agreed that
women should have no place in life outside of the domestic sphere, which was written about in
Rousseau's Èmile. Rousseau emphasizes that women should be educated for a position subordinate
to men, emphasizing that they had skills needed solely for rearing children and other domestic tasks.
According to Rousseau, the sphere involving political action, citizenship, and civic virtue was the
man's world. Although Mary Wollstonecraft criticized this writing in her Vindication of the Rights
of Women, saying that these separate spheres condemned

The Scientific Revolution : The Enlightenment And The...
Prior to the 18th century, the European mindset was based on religion and superstition, with the
church at the forefront. In the realm of science, people had accepted without question what they
deemed to be irrefutable theories of "natural philosophy", such as Aristotle's "common sense
physics" and Ptolemy's geocentric view of the universe. But due to the rediscovery of classical
learning, new technology such as the printing press, international competition, and many other
factors, in the 18th century humanity began to make significant steps in progress during the
Scientific Revolution. The Scientific Revolution then inspired a period of time known as the
Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, in which men discovered ideas and principles that would
eventually alter the global mindset and served as a major turning point in European society. Despite
these enormous changes, however, the Enlightenment did not serve all areas of European society;
concepts such as peasantry, serfdom, sexism, and social inequality found little improvement in this
era. In his masterpiece Principia, published in 1687, Isaac Newton demonstrated through his
discovery and explanation of gravity that the universe has rational laws that can be deciphered by
the mind of man. This discovery spurred on a whole new way of thinking for the educated European
upper class, and triggered the period known as the Enlightenment (1687–1775). Abandoning
superstition, men known as philosophes began to use reason

Age Of The Enlightenment
At the start of the eighteenth–century intellectual leaders attempted to understand why what had
been done in natural science could not be done in social science. The Enlightenment has been
defined in many different ways, but its broadest was a philosophical, intellectual and cultural
movement of the eighteenth century. The leaders wanted logic to be included in a worldwide since
such as used in history, politics, jurisprudence, and economics. The Enlightenment preferred to see
humanity as capable of creating its own moral code in order to help create a rational mind. The
Enlightenment also pioneered in applying scientific methods to the study of human society,
sketching the modern social sciences. The basic ideals were the rational laws could ... Show more
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The way the world works now is all based off the Enlightenment. By furthering development in the
arts, philosophy, religion, and politics the Enlightenment has furthered our research and ideals. It
produced a set of basic principles about human affairs. Humans beings "are naturally good and can
be educated to be better," (The Age Of The Enlightenment). Enlightenment thinkers attacked the
Catholic church with particular vigor. Progress was possible, even inevitable, if people could be set
free. Society's goals should center on improvements in material and social life. In culture, the
aftermath of the scientific revolution spilled over into a new movement known as the
Enlightenment, centered particularly in France but with adherents throughout the Western world.
Enlightenment thinkers continued to support scientific advance. While there were no "Newton–like
breakthroughs, chemists gained new understanding of major elements and biologists developed a
vital new classification system for the natural species" (The Enlightenment P.1). Enlightenment
thinkers showed great interest in technological change, for greater prosperity was a valid and
achievable goal. Coercion and cruelty could be corrected, for the Enlightenment encouraged a
humanitarian outlook that was applied in condemnations of slavery and war. The Enlightenment,
"summing up and extending earlier intellectual changes, became an important force for political and
social reform. It did not rule unchallenged. Important popular religious movements, such as
Methodism in England, showed the continued power of spiritual faith. Many writers, particularly
those experimenting with the novel as a new literary form in the West, rebelled against
Enlightenment rationality to urge the importance of sentimentality and emotion. These approaches,

Summary Of The Enlightenment Salons
Dr. Dena Goodman is an American historian and Professor of History and Women's Studies at the
University of Michigan. Her most notable publications include The Republic of Letters: A Cultural
History of the French Enlightenment (1994) and Becoming a Woman in the Age of Letters (2009).
In her article, "Enlightenment Salons: The Convergence of Female and Philosophic Ambition,"
(1989) Dena Goodman stresses the pivotal role of women, as salonnières, in the transformation and
governance of eighteenth–century French Enlightenment salons, which were the base of the
philosophes' pursuit of the Enlightenment project; furthermore, Goodman argues the reciprocal
successes of the Republic of Letters and the Enlightenment salons was fostered by their ... Show
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The motivations were various and complex, from trying to advance from social dissipation to trying
to supplement the education that was denied to them as children.
However, as illustrated by eighteenth century–French theologian and moralist, Jacques–Joseph
Duget, there was a perception of frivolous and licentious salon women in the seventeenth–century
corrupting society, particularly by feminizing men. Salons in the eighteenth–century had evolved
from this, now trying to revive society through the philosophes' Republic of Letters.
The salons were reclaimed from aristocracy and utilized by the philosophes as a space of
collaboration and intellectual exchange, fostering Enlightenment ideas, particularly egalitarianism.
Salons were characterized by the acknowledged equality among the participants as well as the birth
of intellectual practice as a valuable interest. The serious tone of the salon as a workspace provided
philosophes with the environment necessary to spread the ideals of the Enlightenment, including the
involvement of women in the enlightened community. The Republic of Letters developed
complementarily with the salon's social, institutional advancements, mirroring the interconnectivity
of philosophes and salonnières alike in the Enlightenment project. Epistolary networks of
intellectual discussion and the continued exchange of letters was vital to the growth and
characterization of the Republic of

The Age Of Enlightenment: The Enlightenment And The...
The Enlightenment; age of reason, lasting throughout the 18th century was a period of intellectual
growth in Europe. It introduced modernity; a period defined by the rejection of tradition and
prioritization of equality and individualism. These beliefs were a direct influence of the actions and
discoveries made during the scientific revolution that challenged core beliefs. Although, these
newfound ideals were being popularized by Philosophes encouraging a focus on science and
philosophy, preexisting principles made it difficult to do so. While Europe was no longer in the dark
ages, many societal values remained dictated by Christianity and a monarchial government. The
enlightenment challenged traditional European values to a moderate extent ... Show more content on
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Male intellectuals, who became the face of the enlightenment argued that a women's nature made
them incapable to do equal or more than men. According to Spielvogel, "Like Rousseau, they argued
that the female constitution made women mothers. Male writers in particular, were critical of the
attempts of some women in the enlightenment to write on intellectual issues, arguing that women
were by nature intellectually inferior to men" (Spielvogel, 31). This suggests that a woman's only
purpose in life is to reproduce and dedicate herself to her children and family. This notion reduces
women to sexual objects and ignores any implication of equal education or rights for women,
stripping them from having the capability to be on a similar intellectual level to their male
counterpart. By arguing that women do not belong in a position of intellect, a consistent cycle of
male ignorance and male controlled society continues. This diminution of women as inferior shows
that between the Middle ages and the Enlightenment, women's rights did not progress at all.

The Enlightenment : The Rise Of The Enlightenment Era
"Enlightenment is man's leaving his self–caused immaturity"(Kant 1). The Enlightenment Era was a
period of logic, rationalism, and science revolution. Nature played a large part in the Enlightenment
meaning balance in the world and tranquility. Among many other philosophers, Descartes, John
Locke and Isaac Newton were the major influences in the rise of the Enlightenment movement. Jean
Jacques Rousseau played his part in the political standpoint by writing, The Social Contract, which
expressed his belief on the wealthy controlling everything. Economics took a change after the
Physiocrats and Adam Smith set in the ideology of an self trade system around Europe and the
Americas. The religion of the Enlightenment soon became Deism, a religion that opposed the
Catholic church and what they have done. Individuality and the rights of a person's humanity were
greatly valued during this era. With creating the famous encyclopedia, Denis Diderot unleashed an
intellectual movement of factual discovery from around the world. The Enlightenment brought the
mindset that, "Man, being the servant and interpreter of Nature, can do and understand so much and
so much only as he has observed in fact or in thought of the course of nature: beyond this he neither
knows anything nor can do anything"(Bacon 1). Nature, reason, optimism, and progress are the
basis of the Enlightenment era. During this era, men started to think before acting or assuming life's
qualities. There was a sense of hope for

Enlightenment And The Enlightenment
The renaissance sparked the beginning of the Enlightenment. The movement of people from blind
belief in the church to being more reliant on science and the power of reason was one of the major
changes during the renaissance. The Enlightenment took place from the mid of the seventeenth
century and it defined the moment when philosophers tackled the challenge of explaining human
behavior through reason and law of nature. Europe was the birthplace of the Enlightenment and all
the countries in Europe were affected by the Enlightenment. The belief in freedom of religion, social
equality, and the people of a society can establish and destroy their government were the major ideas
during the Enlightenment.
The belief that the people of a society united had more power than the government was one of the
philosophers' main ideas of the enlightenment. The philosopher John Locke believed that if a
government became corrupted than the people that are being represented by the government can
choose to overthrow it and build a new one by creating a new legislative (DOC A). This right of the
people to over their government is protected by what John Locke called their "natural right". John
Locke also declaimed the "law of nature". The law of nature basically describes that all men and
women have freedom of their actions and property. If their actions aren't harming anyone else than
they possess the freedom to exercise it. So if their government is corrupt or weakening than the
people as one

The Enlightenment
World Literature
The Enlightenment's Impact on the Modern World The Enlightenment, Age of Reason, began in the
late 17th and 18th century. This was a period in Europe and America when mankind was emerging
from centuries of ignorance into a new age enlightened by reason, science, and respect for humanity.
This period promoted scientific thought, skeptics, and intellectual interchange: dismissing
superstition, intolerance, and for some, religion. Western Europe, Germany, France, and Great
Britain, and the American Colonies generally influenced the age of reason. Following the
Renaissance, science and rationality was the forefront of this age. The enlightenment came as a
wave throughout Europe, drastically changing the culture. The ... Show more content on
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An unobstructed supply of grain in France would be a means of increasing total output. In 1776
Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations, which forwards similar ideas. Smith was somewhat
different from the physiocrats, though, because he believed that labor and the market were the prime
creators of wealth. Smith argues "The greatest improvement in the productive powers of labour, and
the greater part of the skill, dexterity, and judgment with which it is anywhere directed, or applied,
seem to have been the effects of the division of labour."(Smith) He believes labor for one owns
success is the best way to work, not wealth based on social standings. In making these arguments,
both the physiocrats and Adam Smith struck at the hold that the aristocracy was trying to maintain
on the economy. Locke agrees, "All wealth is the product of labor" The laissez–faire economists
believed that wealth should not be confined to one class. As articulated in France, therefore, the
argument for laissez–faire economics was an argument that the ancient regime should be abolished
and replaced with a more equal basis for society. Most literature was nonfiction, which means it was
based on fact rather than being made up by the author 's imagination. Its aims were to instruct, to
enlighten, and to make people think. Immanuel Kant, German philosopher, states "Two things
inspire me to awe: the starry heavens above and the moral

The Enlightenment For Independence And The Enlightenment...
In the eighteenth century, Enlightenment ideas of universal human rights inspired the American and
French Revolutions. Following Napoleon's invasion of Spain, such ideas also ignited independence
movements in Spanish America in the early nineteenth century. Simón Bolívar, the "Liberator" of
much of Spanish South America, cited Enlightenment ideology to justify independence. In his
"Cartagena Manifesto" and "Jamaica Letter," Bolívar used Enlightenment political ideology to
promote criollo¬–led centralized authority and to inspire criollos to support independence. In his
letters, Bolívar championed criollo–led centralized authority rather than decentralized federalism,
which he assailed as the cause of the first Venezuelan Republic's demise ... Show more content on
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Most importantly, such a contract created what Rousseau called the "general will," a people's
common interests, which Rousseau charged governments and their people with the responsibilities
to uphold and obey respectively (Friend). Bolívar's criticisms regarding federalism echoed such
ideas: "by authorizing self–government," the federal system "disrupt[ed] social contracts and
reduce[d] nations to anarchy" because each province developed and chased its own interests at the
expense of a "general will" (6). A "single authority," however, would be able to enforce–or even
unite–the people under such a "general will" (8). Bolívar also pointed to missing political virtues
and experience for federalism's unsuitability in Venezuela, something for which he blamed Spanish
rule; thus, his criticism of federalism also rallied his criollo audience against Spanish rule through
Enlightenment rhetoric and appeals to criollos' hostility towards peninsular discrimination. In his
"Cartagena Manifesto," Bolívar argued that federalism did not suit Venezuela (nor other Spanish
American viceroyalties) because the Venezuelan people "lack[ed] the political virtues" which would
allow them to exercise their rights and carry out their civic duties "to the fullest measure" (7). In his
"Jamaica Letter," Bolívar explained why: the "greed[y]" Spaniards "removed" the criollos from "the
administration of the state," preventing them from managing high–level

Enlightenment According To Kant And The Enlightenment
nlightenment according to Kant (1784) is : " man's emergence from his self–imposed nonage.
Nonage is the inability to use one's own understanding without another's guidance. This nonage is
self–imposed if its cause lies not in lack of understanding but in indecision and lack of courage to
use one's own mind without another's guidance. Dare to know! (Sapere aude.) 'Have the courage to
use your own understanding,' is therefore the motto of the enlightenment." (kant, 1784)
The age enlightenment was a move away from Christian period, an era where religion did not only
govern the dominant belief system, but also governed the way of life. Due to internal weaknesses in
Christianity, after it had become an institutionalised religion, the world once again was going into
dark ages. Thus the Enlightenment is literally, 'a way out of the dark'.
The Enlightenment was an era in history in which all aspects of life, including culture, intellect etc,
were based primarily on reason. The most vital thought of the Enlightenment was the belief in
individuals' rationality, that all individuals can think for themselves. Therefore, a person would not
automatically ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In times of crisis, the first thing a person usually does is turn towards God. Jean–Paul Sartre raises
this issue in a subplot in his short story "The Wall." The protagonist in this story was fighting in the
Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. He is captured, sentenced to be executed, and spends his last night
in a cell with some others who have also been sentenced to death. The protagonist, who has no
apparent belief in God, watches as one of the other condemned prisoners who believes in God gives
way to fear. Sartre's protagonist faces his impending death with courage, and even finds himself
relishing his last moments of living, as opposed to the believer who gives way to fear. But is this
going to be convincing for most

The Power Of Enlightenment : The Enlightenment And The...
Knowledge is a power that we as humans have achieve throughout history. With presenting new
perspectives and challenging beliefs, we have made this far. Although like many other things,
knowledge and challenging perspectives had to start from somewhere. By looking at Voltaire, who
was a famous French philosopher in the early European colonization, we can explore his beliefs
through one of his pieces in order to further understand the Enlightenment movement. During the
early European colonization, the Enlightenment was introduced to the public. The Enlightenment
movement was represented as a source of gaining knowledge and was seen as an educating tool to
many. During a time where religion and god were believed to be the answer to the world around us,
the introduction of a different perspectives with the Enlightenment movement , was the start of
many debates. Does a philosopher like Voltaire, support or go against the Enlightenment
movement?. I would argue that, while Voltaire does thrive for change and the gain of knowledge, he
does not like the change that the Enlightenment represents. By using one of Voltaires famous piece,
Candide or Optimism, we can further explore Voltaires beliefs on the Enlightenment movement and
its use for change. In the book Candide or optimism, Voltaire represents some parts of the
Enlightenment with encounterments that the character in the book face. Candide, who is the
protagonist in the novel, experiences many obstacles during his journeys

The Age Of Enlightenment : The Ideas Of The Enlightenment
The Age of Reason, or simply known as the Enlightenment period, was a movement where
European politics, philosophy, science and communications were radically rethought. Enlightenment
thinkers questioned traditional authority and embraced the ideas that humanity could be improved
through change. Numerous books, essays, laws, inventions, wars and revolutions came about during
this period. The Declaration of Independence, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the
Declaration of the Rights of Women, all written during this period, were directly influenced by
Enlightenment ideas. All three documents stress freedom and equality. Yet, all three are different in
the circumstances in which they were written. The Declaration of Independence, written in 1776,
was a call to the thirteen colonies to severe their political connections to Great Britain and form a
new government. The document summarized a list of grievances about how the colonies had been
oppressed and wronged under British rule and provided its motivations for seeking independence.
For example, statements like, "He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesale and necessary
for public good;" "For imposing taxes on us without our consent;" demonstrated some of the
rationale for breaking away from Great Britain. The Declaration of the Rights of Men, written in
1789, was a call to change the way France's government was established and outlined a citizen's
natural rights. This was a different way of thinking for the

The Enlightenment : The Ideas Of The Enlightenment Era
Extravagant minds, creators, along with extraordinary thinkers have made, along with, making
revolutionary ideas become a reality, changing the world in how it works today. On the contrary, the
Enlightenment Period was a period of time, that was just starting to have an extraordinary amount of
revolutionary ideas sparked in society. Unlike our world today there were not numerous amounts of
geniuses in this time period as of now. These sparks soon cause kingdoms, empires, colonies, along
with many other societies to change, undergo reform, an entirely redo on how things run in their
societies. During the Enlightenment Period, the philosophes had a game–changing purpose that
would soon transform the world entirely on how it functions today, as well as, in the future.
Philosophes argued for individual freedom, a thought that allowed people to think, do, and live
freely. This resided in government structure, religious interaction, economic functioning, and human
equality. This eventually caused the majority of the population to become enlightened by their ideas.
The concept of government residing in the people, proposed by John Locke, transformed the way
government functions, interact, along with working within society. John Locke was a headstrong
believer in natural freedom. Freedom was given to "...all men [who] are naturally in..." (Document
A). When a government gets tyrannical "the people are at liberty..." (Doc A) to restructure their
government to be freer. What this

The Era Of Enlightenment : The Age Of The Enlightenment
During the late 17th and 18th century in Europe. The enlightenment philosophers met in french
salons and English drawing rooms to discuss political, religious, economic, and social
questions.These discussions helped shape the capitalistic, and democratic world.Because this period
was a time of bright ideas, the historians have called it the Age of the enlightenment or the Age of
the Reason.With all this information, we wonder What was their main idea? And here is when we
think about each philosopher main idea.
John Locke had the first answer to this question.John Locke (1632–1704) lived in England during
both the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution.When Locke was born, England's
government was an absolute monarchy in which king or queen had power to rule and sometimes
asked for advice and assistance from Parliament.In 1689, the English Parliament passed the Bill of
Rights.He defended the claim that men are by nature free and equal against claims that God had
made all people naturally subject to a monarch. He argued that people have rights, such as the right
to life, liberty, and property, that have a foundation independent of the laws of any particular
society('we must consider, what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom
to order to his actions').
Voltaire had the second answer.Voltaire was born Francois–Marie Arouet in Paris in 1694. He
adopted his pen name and became a prolific writer, eventually composing poems, novels,

The Enlightenment : The Greatest Impact Of The Enlightenment
The world that current societies know today would be very different if the Enlightenment did not
occur in the 18th century. With people like Immanuel Kant, Baron de Montesquieu, and John Locke,
the Enlightenment was one of the most revolutionary events to ever occur. For example, Immanuel
Kant explored human experiences, Montesquieu believed that there should be three branches of
government, and John Locke believed in the social contract and the ability to own life, liberty and
property. The ideas of the Enlightenment drastically changed the world and how we continue to
think about things including the future generations.
One person who who helped to make an incredible impact in the Enlightenment was Immanuel
Kant. Immanuel Kant was a ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Montesquieu stated, "In every government there are three sorts of power: the legislative; the
executive, in respect to things dependent on the law of nations; and the executive, in regard to things
that depend on the civil law" (Document G). Montesquieu believed in numerous things including
separation of powers, freedom of religion, and he was very against absolute monarchy. He believed
that in order for the government's powers to be funcional, they have to be separated into the
legislative, executive, and judicial with equal power and equal responsibilities. Montesquieu's
thoughts can be compared to the thoughts of John Locke. John Locke believed in the right to own
Life, Liberty, and Property through a document known as the Social Contract. Locke has once said,
"....Political power is that power, which every man having in the state of nature, has given up into
the hands of the society, and therein to the governors, whom the society hath set over itself,"
(Document C). Locke wrote in response to the Glorious Revolution, specifically in response to
absolute monarchy. He believed that men have the natural rights of life, liberty, and property since
they were born, and he felt that the government should be run by a limited power that can be
accepted by all citizens.
The social aspects of the Enlightenment made a definite impact on today's society. Thomas Hobbes,
a philosopher who wrote Leviathan, made

Human Autonomy: The Enlightenment Ideals Of The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment (1685–1815), one of the greatest philosophical movements in modern Europe,
gave way to many extraordinary thinkers including Isaac Newton (1642–1727) and Jean–Jacques
Rousseau (1712–1778). Human autonomy was a central concept to members of the Enlightenment,
meaning that humans inherently were rational, reasonable, and able to think for themselves, rather
than be told what to think by their government or religion. Collaboration was also very important to
enlightened thinkers and members of the Scientific Revolution, who, as a result, could progress
scientific knowledge. Emperor Joseph II of Austria (1741–1790) was the model enlightened despot,
and his failure proves the preposteriousness of an absolute ruler who used enlightened principles.
Proved by Emperor Joseph II , enlightened despotism in itself is oxymoronic, as the ideals of the
Enlightenment, namely collaboration and human autonomy, are non–existent in a despotic
government. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
No one had ever thought before that humans inherently were capable of having reason and rationale,
therefore subjects were never given those rights. In the image, Joseph is plowing a farmer's field
while the commoner is standing idly by, helpless and intimidated. Joseph believed he knew what is
best for his subjects and that he should be the decision–maker on all their matters. He did
"everything for the people; nothing by the people" (Joseph 290). This contradicts the enlightened
ideal of human autonomy, that since subjects have inherent rationale, they should be able to make
decisions for themselves. While human autonomy was a very important ideal to enlightened
thinkers, Joseph II, along with other enlightened despots, did not abide by it, further proving the
contradiction of despotism and the

The Enlightenment : The Impact Of The Enlightenment In...
One of the biggest influences of the European settlers was their ideology that they brought with
them to new lands. The Enlightenment is defined purely in intellectual terms as the spreading of
faith in reason and universal rights and laws, but the era encompassed broader developments such as
the increased literacy and critical thinking, and less religious persecution. "The more they learned,
the more European intellectuals became convinced not only that their culture was superior. . . they
had discovered a set of universal laws that applied to everyone, everywhere around the world."
(Pollard, pg. 510). They believed that they should lead the other countries, ignoring the fact that
other civilizations may have had their own beliefs and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
If the Europeans were so morally superior, how could slavery, civil rights violations, and social
welfare issues, ever be justified? The way in which African slaves and Native Americans were
treated by the Europeans are examples of the ethnocentrism. This belief of superiority is one's ethnic
group can never be justified, but I believe it's mainly developed from racial and religious
differences. Imperialism can be described as the exercise of power by a state beyond its borders
including the imperialism of free trade practiced by Great Britain in the early nineteenth century,
and the power that large corporations and industrial nations held in the early twenty–first century.
Colonialism–the creation of a state of a means of administrative control over peoples who are
defined as distinct. Colonialism is also a specific form of imperialism. Imperialism, in which other
lands were taken over unfairly, was practiced in Europe starting in the sixteenth century. Lands were
overtaken in Africa, and both the Americas and Africa where it was believed the indigenous people
were felt to be primitive societies, with uneducated and uncivilized people. The Europeans did not
understand these cultures, including their religious beliefs or social customs and they, believed that
they needed to change their community to become more like the far superior European culture. The

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 Voltaire who 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 The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a time of great reform in ideas and knowledge. It was such an important part
of history, that it took many people and many years to fully bring it into play. This time in life was
all about change, such as the education of women, the separation of science and church, and the
freedom to learn without government censorship. Someone people were on board with the
movement, but others fought against the great ideals of Enlightenment. Although, it is sure that
without the Enlightenment, our world would be very different today, and not in a good way.
The Enlightenment was mainly seen throughout the eighteenth century, though events leading up to
and shaping the movement can be dated back to the sixteen ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
In the 1690's John Toland published a book titled Christianity Not Mysterious, in which he said,
"Why should we have religious doctrines or dogmas at all?... Why not find a set of reasonable
principles based on nature's laws on which everyone could agree?" (Jacob p42). Ideas like this had
become more common since the enlightenment, though most were not this extreme in hoping the
form religious unity.
Another change that occurred during enlightenment was the education of women. During the time of
Absolutism, women were seen as under their husband's authority and control. Women received
minimal education and if they did by chance receive a higher education, they hardly had a voice of
their own to advocate ideas. When the era of enlightenment arrived, many men started to realized
the importance and value in a woman's education. One of the major examples of what a women's
education can bring to society, was displayed through the career of Mary Wortley Montagu.
Montagu was known for taking a public stance on inoculation, practicing it on her own children and
introducing it before it became a common practice in Europe. Montagu traveled to many places in
Europe and learned from her cultural experiences. She even spoke of educational rights in Germany,
"She went from city to city and decried the power of the absolutist princes over their subjects"
(Jacob p24). Her work inspired many women to become educated and learn

Enlightenment Vs Enlightenment
The biggest life long journey that anyone can go through is the never–ending search for
enlightenment and self–knowledge. Our own personal journey starts with self–reflection and to
become our own person. How do we do that when we have been molded since childhood to think,
believe, and act how others have always told us to? In Kant's "What is Enlightenment", he breaks
down how to achieve what he considers to be true enlightenment. Kant defines enlightenment as a
release from self–incurred tutelage. By self–incurred tutelage here he meant "immaturity" and he
describes immaturity as the inability of a person to make use of their own understanding and reasons
without the help of others. The motto of Enlightenment is: Sapere aude! or Dare to know! Have the
courage to use one's own understanding. He asks us to be rational, he says we should not obey
authorities like parents, law enforcement, and even spiritual leaders. If you want to obey them, first
rationalize and then obey, otherwise you are not rational or ethical. He asks us to become rational
and think for ourselves for every action we perform without the help of others. He then described
the reasons behind the immaturity that is so prevalent in a person. He says laziness and cowardice
are the reasons why such a large part of mankind gladly remain minors all their lives, long after
nature has freed them from external guidance. By laziness here he is referring to the mental laziness;
that nobody wants to exert

The Enlightenment : The Ideas Of The Enlightenment
During the Enlightenment era, both elite culture and popular culture had influences, philosophers
dominating the ideals of the time period. In the eighteenth century, philosophers such as Adam
Smith, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean Jacques Rousseau empowered people to think upon their natural
rights and suggested new ideologies to follow and/or support. Additionally, because of the
Enlightenment, the Realist and Neoclassical Art Movement spurred and gathered momentum as
artists changed the art scene with their masterpieces across Europe. The philosophers all represented
new ideas; however all ideas balanced with one another. Among the most influential, Adam Smith
had two major works within his life he is best known for and they are The Theory of ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Rousseau's philosophy is based on a body of people with individual thought involved to overcome
obstacles in nature and run the country properly. He incorporated the rights of the people with the
government to make an effective system with almost to no oppression from the upper class. These
philosophers all altered our view on thought, rights, and elite culture. During the era of the Scientific
Revolution, many new things were brought to the minds of the people. This new prospective of the
world opened up the artistic world to realism as well as symbolic meaning. Artists heavy utilized
realism in their art whilst scientists revealed the true nature of our Earth, disregarding the wrong
ideas of the earlier science. Because of this period, we now know more about our world and pay
more attention to detail. In this modern day and age, we can thank the work of these wonderful
people because they inspired us with their brilliance. We can thank them for exposing a part of
science we now have knowledge of because of them. Scientists and artists all altered our view on
elite culture along with popular culture and live on in our textbooks and in our hearts, forever.
During the Enlightenment, the world was exposed to new ideas and ideals from newly blossomed
philosophers. The neoclassical art movement demonstrates and reflects the search for reason within
the era. Art was influenced by

The Age Of Enlightenment : The Ideas Of The Enlightenment
The ideals of the Enlightenment are the basis of our democracies and universities in the 21st
century: belief in reason, science, skepticism, secularism, and equality. In fact, no other era
compares with the Age of Enlightenment. Classical Antiquity is inspiring, but a world away from
our modern societies. The Middle Ages was more reasonable than its reputation, but still medieval.
The Renaissance was glorious, but largely because of its result: the Enlightenment. The Romantic
era was a reaction to the Age of Reason – but the ideals of today's modern states are seldom
expressed in terms of romanticism and emotion. Immanuel Kant's argument in the essay 'Perpetual
Peace' (1795) that 'the human race' should work for 'a cosmopolitan constitution' can be seen as a
precursor for the United Nations.
As the story usually goes, the Enlightenment began with René Descartes's Discourse on the Method
(1637), continuing on through John Locke, Isaac Newton, David Hume, Voltaire and Kant for
around one and a half centuries, and ending with the French Revolution of 1789, or perhaps with the
Reign of Terror in 1793. By the time that Thomas Paine published The Age of Reason in 1794, that
era had reached its twilight. Napoleon was on the rise.
But what if this story is wrong? What if the Enlightenment can be found in places and thinkers that
we often overlook? Such questions have haunted me since I stumbled upon the work of the 17th–
century Ethiopian philosopher Zera Yacob (1599–1692), also

The Enlightenment : The Central Ideas Of The Enlightenment
"Freedom, the power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint."
Freedom is what lets us do what we want, act how we want to. Many countries and kingdoms in the
world have this, and this idea has spread throughout the world quickly. Without it, society would fall
apart, but who was the genius who made it? Why did it happen? Who was the genius who made it?
It all started with a time in history called the enlightenment. The enlightenment was a period in
history when people began to question human behavior, society, and the government. People's minds
began to open up about the world around them by using logic and reasoning. As this era continued,
high authorities like the church and rulers began to crumble in power. These power hungry
authorities had lost the majority of their power, and because of this freedom formed. There were
many incredible and wise philosophers in this era that spread their ideology across the globe, but
what were their true ideas? The central ideas of the Enlightenment Thinkers were that society could
develop and improve by allowing the personal freedoms in the areas of government, religion,
economics and social equality.
A main idea developed from the Enlightenment thinkers was that society and could develop and
improve by allowing more freedoms in the area of government. John Locke especially believed in
this, as he was one of the main enlightenment thinkers. John Locke believed that freedoms in
government could improve

Enlightenment And The Enlightenment Movement
What cultured such an immense need for reform in France between 1690 C.E. and 1789 C.E.? Geo.
H. Lewis argues in his DeFOREST ORATION. CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION that
the extremely high and constricting taxes implemented in France, the conflicts between the nobility
and the working class, and the uncooperativeness of the King created a sense of urgency for the
general population of France (Lewis, pg. 51–52). Louis Gottschalk attributes this reform to the
revolutionary ideas which were formulated by Rousseau during the Enlightenment movement. The
Enlightenment movement in France was a product of the Scientific Revolution, a period in which
there were new developments in politics, religion, and science which led to new governmental ...
Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
51–52). The taxes strangled the working class, the privileges of the nobles exempted them from
conscription into the military, and King Louis XVI's inability to perform led to an intense feeling of
hatred for the King and the nobility. Lewis reveals the "weight of taxation" as a strangling force
which did not allow for lower class people to support themselves properly (Lewis, pg. 52). Thus,
this created an immense amount of discontent which aided in starting the French Revolution. Upper
classmen were exempt from such taxes and could avoid mandatory military service which forced
more lower classmen into the military to replace the positions which would have been filled in by
the upper classmen (Lewis, pg. 52). With the impending taxes and drafting of lower classmen into
the military, this further improved conditions for a revolution. To add to all this dissatisfaction, King
Louis XVI called an army to quell the National Assembly which created a sense of fear as people
believed he would disband the assembly, halting all the progress made in promoting the wellbeing of
the Frenchmen (McKay, pg. 663). These events seem to have been a plausible cause for the French
Revolution, however, these events did not provide the initial

Enlightenment : A Time Of Reason And Enlightenment In The...
The Enlightenment period was a time of reason and observation that has helped shape our society as
a whole. Observation and reasoning were detrimental to find out the truth behind a subject, because
with this, one could discover patterns in nature. Thinkers at this time were "hopeful that they might
discover new ways to understand and improve their society" (Background Essay). During the late
17th and 18th centuries numerous changes had brought about disagreements and questions on ways
of living and knowing life. The enlightenment period was a time when philosophers and other
people spoke out against society's standards of living and decided to live for themselves rather than
how society said the world should work. John Locke believed that that everyone was equal and of
the same rank. Locke says that species or creatures such as the human race are equal without anyone
being less or more than each other. The age of Enlightenment allowed for people to believe men
were free, and that "All men are naturally in 'a state of perfect freedom....within the bounds of the
law of nature's" (Document A) . Locke supports that people can live free by selling and buying their
goods or even work where one wants to while keeping within nature's limits. People ruling the
government was also something that Locke believed in. If a government was to fail due to becoming
abusive of its ends and no longer protecting the people's rights, people have the right to create a new
government.

Enlightenment Age Of Enlightenment
From black magic to modern medicine, the public's perception of health has evolved over time. The
concept of health had experienced most of its development during the Age of Enlightenment, when
the virtues of reason and knowledge encapsulated society. Historian Ernst Cassirer associated the
advancement of this era with the advancements of the human mind. In doing so, he deemed reason a
positive force, one that pushes fallacies apart and pulls together the truth, and stated that a desire for
knowledge was no longer sinful. With this understanding of the Enlightenment at hand, one can
easily see how the sentiment of the era motivated the advancements of health and medicine. Using
knowledge as a motivation and reason as a tool, the philosophes brought health and medicine toward
modernity by questioning the status quo and introducing a new, empirically–based regime. The era's
compulsion for science, experimentation and critique allowed for an abundance of advancements
within the realm of health and medicine.
The heart of Enlightenment thought rested in scientific inquiry. Reason was rooted in truth and truth
was rooted in science. Therefore, science became the foundation of natural law, reason and,
subsequently, all Enlightenment thought. The nature of science allowed researchers to arrive upon
consistent conclusions through their studies. More specifically, it allowed them to discover truths,
establish theories and develop a better understanding of the world around them. Using

What Is Enlightenment

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