The Enlightenment was a very transforming period of time during the seventeenth and eighteenth century in Europe. Following the successes of the Scientific Revolution, the continent, as a whole, experienced stimulation in new ideas, technology, and methods, inspiring many to think more logically and challenge the intellectual abilities of man. The Enlightenment was a very liberal time, focusing on logic, reason, and individualism in order to oppose intolerances and abuses in both the Church and states of Europe. New convictions spread about economic and social reform and grew over time. Traditional ideas from the Catholic Church were untrusted, as people began to disprove them through science. Social sciences branched off and the idea of intellectual …show more content…
The Enlightenment thinkers brought many new political ideas and reforms to Europe. Philosophers such as John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau all had different ideas that contributed to political reforms. Before this time, politics were typically run based on an absolute monarchy, with a single ruler making all choices themselves. People during the Enlightenment started realizing the flaws in this system, and believed the people should have more say. For example, in a list of grievances from the Third Estate of the French city of Dourdan, the people demanded many things to support their rights, one including equal taxation on citizens (document 8). John Locke was an English philosopher who developed the idea of republicanism. He believed all people were born with the natural rights of life, liberty, and property. If theses rights were taken away by a government, then people had the right to rebel. He also believed that people should elect officials to represent them and make decisions on their behalf. These officials would be educated and would represent ideas parallel to those best for the public. Baron de Montesquieu was a French philosopher who believed that there were three main types of government: republic, monarchy …show more content…
People began discussing ideas, exchanging knowledge, and observing the many natural wonders of man. This time was a large transition in European history, though many did not realize it at the time, it was an era of change. People were able to express ideas about mankind and have them no longer be seen as a minority (document 7). Observation was a very key component to the many discoveries brought forth by the Scientific Revolution and carried through to the Enlightenment. Document 2 states that the proper study of mankind is man and one should observe man in order to understand it. People of this time were beginning to distrust many myths and traditions that were based on speculation rather than observation. They were beginning to understand that seeing something yourself overpowered what anyone else could assume. Philosopher, John Locke, discusses in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding that experience and observation is the key to building knowledge and the best way to improve mankind and society is by obtaining as much knowledge as possible (source 1). All knowledge was considered valuable and all ideas can connect and form value. As d’Ambert expresses in document 6, “the discovery of the compass is no less advantageous to the human race than the explanation of the compass needle is to physics.” People were beginning
En·light·en·ment noun 1. the action of enlightening or the state of being enlightened. 2. the Enlightenment, a philosophical movement of the 18th century, characterized by belief in the power of human reason and by innovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine.
Revolutions for Enlightenment During the eighteenth century, people were angry and miserable. They sought for alternatives in the way they were living, and how they existed in society. Many minority groups revolted against their governments or people of authority because they felt as if they were being treated unfairly. In other words, the government was not treating everyone as equals. Not everyone had the right to own property, vote, and some did not have the right to freedom of speech.
In the Age of Reason, also known as the Enlightenment period, times were changing. Originally, people’s perception of life was based on religion. Religion had answers to things such as why you were sick, or why you were poor. This time occurred in the 17th century when certain scientist, philosophers, and writers decided that there were other reasons besides religion on why things happened. Many believed that all life could be explained by scientific views rather than religion.
People wanted to know more about the tge world and life. According to Science and Enlightenment “this new definition of knowledge permeated every aspect of human society, including art and culture, and the rapid accumulation of knowledge.”
During the Enlightenment period, many thinkers shared their ideas about society, Thinkers like John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote books to spread their ideas against the Old Order. First, John Locke believed everyone had natural rights. These natural rights were life,liberty,and property. The main purpose of the government would be to protect these rights. Locke influenced important people such as Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence.
By one change being recognized, the whole world soon followed. During the Enlightenment, European politics, philosophy, science and communication radically re-oriented during the course of the long 18th century. It was the Enlightenment thinkers that changed the way individuals viewed certain ideas. They questioned traditional authority and embraced the notion that humanity could be improved to rational change. This was with books, essays, inventions, and laws.
The influence of the Enlightenment thinkers John Locke and Voltaire over the French and American Revolution is a similarity between these two Revolutions. In France, the old regime was the political and social system of France. This system was formed by three estates, the first estate which was the Roman Catholic Church, the second estate which was the noble people, and the third estate which was the rest of the population. The third estate were outraged by the inequality and lack of privileges, while the other two estates lived in a life of luxury and with special privileges. The third estate had identified themselves with the ideas of John Locke, especially his idea that everyone was born with unalienable rights.
The Enlightenment was a social growth movement that spread though Europe during the 1700's. The Enlightenment influenced the world with ideas. It's eager participants thought they were irradiating human understanding and culture after the Middle Ages. The Enlightenment included the rise of reason, scientific method, and liberty. The American and French Revolutions were influenced by the Enlightenment's ethics and marked the pinnacle of its influence and the start of its decline.
Baron de Montesquieu argued that separation of powers is ideal in a government. That is used today in the United States government. Separation of powers is ideal so that one person doesn’t get all of the power in the government. The way that the United States uses separation of powers is through checks and balances. Checks and balances is used to keep the government from getting too powerful in one branch, the Executive Branch can veto bills from the Legislative Branch, but the Legislative Branch can overrule the veto.
Social Studies 9 Enlightenment Essay In what ways did the Enlightenment Upset the Balances of Society? The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement during the 17th and 18th century. The Enlightenment changed the way people thought about their society and the entire world.
The Enlightenment was a major turning point in European society because it changed the whole outcome of all of Europe. In the beginning, before the Enlightenment, nobody thought for themselves, and it was the monarchy and/or the Catholic Church's job to tell people what to think and do. The Enlightenment resulted in people beginning to think for themselves and start to form their own opinions and beliefs that go against the Church and the monarchy. The Enlightenment thinkers used science and philosophical theories to express what they believed in and used the new thoughts to help them solve their problems.
In the time of the Enlightenment Period many changes were happening in society. In the late 17th and 18th century people called The Philosophers, met in French salons and English drawing rooms to discuss what they believed in. They made many great things happen and strived their best to make what they believed in something possible. The Enlightenment Philosophers imagined they could change the ways of society in many ways. They concluded that they could improve the laws, rights of women, religious rights, and also economic rights.
The Enlightenment changed man’s understanding of society, what started as men just questioning the world around them led to ideas that would shape countries, discredit the church, and introduce a free market. All in all, the human thought process change from “everything came from God” to “now, try to reason that”. Politically, the Enlightenment gave way to the idea of enlightened despotism, introduced by Voltaire. It described a rational form of absolutism, where the ruler was there to keep peace, provide protection. and not undermine the peace or the people.
The Enlightenment, a time period between 1600c. and 1800c. , emphasized using reason, logic, and science to solve problems within society. European thinkers, such as Baron De Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Locke, and J.H. Bernardin de Saint, used logic to question the authority of kings and queens. They also stressed freedom for all, humanism, and equality between rulers and their citizens.
The Enlightenment (1650-1800) also referred to as the “Age of Reason” eventually morphed into 19th century Romanticism. Throughout the period of Enlightenment and Romanticism we see an emergence of independent thought, which resulted in freedom to know and understand. The Enlightenment was a period that spawned many philosophical, intellectual and social movements throughout much of Europe. Furthermore, it lead to countless intellectual break throughs in disciplines such as: mathematics, philosophy and medicine. Scholars of the time thought that all humans should strive to increase knowledge rather than rely on emotional impulses.