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Voltaire inspiring the french revolution
Age of enlightenment
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For many years European society depended upon religion to answer most of their questions. The Age of Enlightenment however, was a time period when Europeans switched on a light and got everyone thinking in a new way. The Age of Enlightenment was a time period when philosophes promoted logic and reason to society and answered questions. These thinkers weren’t concerned with the after life, only with the secularly views. Furthermore, philosophes were extremely important during the Enlightenment, the most influential philosophes are Montesquieu, Voltaire and Rousseau.
Charles- Louis Montesquieu contributed to the Enlightenment by coming up with the idea of checks and balances and separation of powers. He believed that the rights of people should be protected from corrupt rulers. He also believed strongly in oligarch views. An oligarchy is when the power is in the hands of tightly nit groups of a powerful class. (Colton, Palmer, 329.) Montesquieu separated 3 forms of government, monarchy, for middle sized states, despotism appropriate for large empires to maintain obedience and republics, worked well with small states.(Colton, Palmer, 329.)Montesquieu admired the English government with separating branches of government that had control of each other was the best form of government. Montesquieu was a crucial part of the enlightenment because his writings and ideas were translated into English and were read by American philosophes, they then used his ideas into the United States Constitution.
In the eighteenth century, Voltaire dominated France. He became the primary spokesperson for the philosophes of the Enlightenment(Harrison, Sullivan, 619). Voltaire strongly agreed with secular views, meaning worldly views, not just religion and the afterlife ideas. Voltaire got everyone thinking of their lives now and not in terms of the after life. He and other philosophes believed that God had nothing to do with the world he made, rather being runt solely on natural rights and laws. Voltaire was mostly intrigued by freedom of thought(Colton, Palmer, 330). Like Montesquieu, he liked that England had a strong government and separation of powers. Moreover, people remembered Voltaire because he fought for civil rights, the right to fair and speedy trial and freedom of religion.
Rousseau came later in the Age of Enlightenment, yet he was the most famous of later philosophes. Rousseau’s political belief were viewed in two important books. Discourse on the Origins of the Inequality of Mankind, he believed that people had made laws in order to keep their private property.
The experiences he went through in his lifetime helped him develop his views on religion. He believed that everyone had the right to choose their religion and be free to practice that religion where they want. There would be conflicts between religious citizens and the government if there wasn’t freedom of religion. This choice should be available in England, according to Voltaire, to prevent problems from arising. “If one religion only were allowed in England, the government would very possibly become arbitrary; if there were two, the people would cut one another's throats; but as there are such multitude, they all live happy and in peace.”
The Age of Enlightenment saw many great changes in Western Europe. It was an age of reason and philosophes. During this age, changes the likes of which had not been seen since ancient times took place. Such change affected evert pore of Western European society. Many might argue that the Enlightenment really did not bring any real change, however, there exists and overwhelming amount of facts which prove, without question, that the spirit of the Enlightenment was one of change-specifically change which went against the previous teachings of the Catholic Church. Such change is apparent in the ideas, questions, and philosophies of the time, in the study of science, and throughout the monarchial system.
The Enlightenment (also known as the Age of Reason) is described by scholars a method of thinking and knowing (“epistemology”) based off of the ideas that the natural world is in fact better understood through close observation, as well as dependence on reason. An important note to point out is that the Enlightenment added a more secular environment to colonial life, which had always been based on religion. The ideas of the Enlightenment actually originated in eighteenth century Europe, allowing for the birth of colonial “deists” who often looked for God’s plan in nature more than the Bible as they had in the past. Many of the deists began to look at science and reason to divulge God’s laws and purpose. This period of Enlightenment encouraged people to study the world around them, think for themselves instead of what others had to say, as well as ask whether the chaotic appearances of things were masking a sense of order. The...
John Locke’s ideas on creating a government by the people and Voltaire’s ideas on practicing any religion shows how many enlightenment philosophers wanted people to live peacefully with others and the society. The ideas of many philosophers helped shape the capitalist, democratic world in which we live today. Today's government was created with a legislative and executive branch, like what Locke suggested and women have more rights, such as getting education and jobs that are same as those of men. Enlightenment philosophers main ideas on increasing human rights and equality helped create a better society during the Enlightenment period and
The church’s robust grip on religious expression shattered as medieval society transitioned into a period known as the Reformation. Characterized by the rejection of common ideology, the Reformation sparked religious curiosity. Reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther offered interpretations of the Bible in direct opposition to the Catholic Church’s teachings, forcing Europeans to examine and formulate their own beliefs. This style of thinking was foreign to European society because up to this point in history Europeans were passive absorbers of Catholic Church ideology. Hence, it was natural that an era considered the Age of Enlightenment followed the period of rejection and questioning known as the Reformation. The Age of Enlightenment did not merely confine itself to religious expression, but spread throughout natural and social science. Thus, the Age of Enlightenment marked the beginning of academic and religious philosophy and allowed great minds to think free from restriction and condemnation of established institution. As the perception of natural
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was known for his thoughts that humans are basically good and fair in their natural state but were often corrupted by the shared concepts and joint activities like property, agriculture, science, and commerce (Schmalleger, 2012). He felt that the social contract started when civilized people agreed to establish governments and systems of education that would correct the problems and inequalities that were brought on by civilization (Schmalleger, 2012). Rousseau believed in the formation of a social contract where the government system would fight off the corruption that was brought out. He felt that human rights should be applied to laws (Schmalleger,
The Enlightenment was an astonishing time of transformation in Europe. During this time in the eighteenth century there was a progressive movement that was labeled by its criticism of the normal religious, social, and political perceptions. A number of significant thinkers, with new philosophies, had inspired creativeness and change. These thinkers had many different thoughts and views on people and the way they act, and views on the government. Two well-known and most influential thinkers of this time were the English political philosopher John Locke and the French political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. These two men had laid down some of the intellectual grounds of the modern day government and both had different opinions on what the government’s role in a society.
The Enlightenment is a unique time in European history characterized by revolutions in science, philosophy, society, and politics. These revolutions put Europe in a transition from the medieval world-view to the modern western world. The traditional hierarchical political and social orders from the French monarchy and Catholic Church were destroyed and replaced by a political and social order from the Enlightenment ideals of freedom and equality(Bristow, 1). Many historians, such as Henry Steele Commager, Peter Gay, have studied the Enlightenment over the years and created their own views and opinions.
Voltaire wrote many well known works, but Candide is the most widely read and considered to have the most profound impact on the French Revolution. In Candide, Voltaire uses his character Pangloss to imitate the extreme ways of Alexander Pope, another philosopher before the French Revolution. The French Revolution was considered a time of positive change, and Voltaire’s philosophical works affected the beginning of the time period by urging the acceptance of new theories. Voltaire is commonly known for his philosophical writing and as a “crusader against injustice, intolerance, cruelty, and war” (“Voltaire”). He was the most outspoken writer that supported political and social reform.
Advancement from Enlightenment As the 1900's rolled around, many changes were to come. New leaders, government styles, and new ideas were just the start. The main focus of the Enlightenment era was based on reason, rationalism, and the idea of "Inevitable Progress. " Enlightenment was pushed forward by great people such as Kant, Bulgaria, Thomas Jefferson, Isaac Newton, Francois-Marie Ardouet de Voltaire, Thomas Hobbes, to name a few.
Compare John Locke, John Stuart Mill, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. John Locke, John Stuart Mill, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau all dealt with the issue of political freedom within a society. John Locke's “The Second Treatise of Government”, Mill's “On Liberty”, and Rousseau’s “Discourse On The Origins of Inequality” are influential and compelling literary works which, while outlining the conceptual framework of each thinker’s ideal state, present divergent visions of the very nature of man and his freedom. The three have somewhat different views regarding how much freedom man ought to have in political society because they have different views regarding man's basic potential for inherently good or evil behavior, as well as the ends or purpose of political societies. In order to examine how each thinker views man and the freedom he should have in a political society, it is necessary to define freedom or liberty from each philosopher’s perspective.
The views of philosophers such as Voltaire are considered to be the source of many essential changes in countries such as America and France. His views on religion, government, and freedom are what people remember most because they have not died out in today’s society.
The Enlightenment began or could be said to have been propelled by the scientific revolution of the earlier centuries, particularly the Newtonian universe, as modernizing science gradually undermined the ancient Western geocentric idea of the universe as well as accompanying set of presuppositions that had been constraining and influencing philosophical inquiry (Bristow; Lewis; Mattey). This has led to the promotion of philosophy that of natural science included, emerging from the shadows of theology to become an independent, powerful force that challenged the old and the status quo. This has led to the great progress at the intellectual and scientific levels, with the society so enthusiastic about said progress amidst expectations that philosophy in general would lead to huge improvement in human conditions (Bristow). During this time, philosophers in the narrow sense of the root world considered the Church as fomenting ignorance, superstition and subservience. They also believed in the inherent equality of human beings even as they held that the best form of gov...
Rousseau's Political Writings: Discourse on Inequality, Discourse on Political Economy, On Social Contract. New York, NY. : W. W. Norton, 1988. Print Smith, Alexis. A.
Age of Enlightenment When Aristotle famously said: "Virtue is a state of character concerned with choice, being determined by rational principle as determined by the moderate man of practical wisdom", not many could fathom the message intended for during his time. In fact, his ideas of decisions based on logical thinking were largely rejected by the Greek public in favor for traditions. Fast forward close to two thousand years, the Age of Enlightenment has arrived. Francis Bacon instigated a revolution in the human thought in the 17th century. The thinkers began to question the rigid traditional ideas and institutions in place using reasoning and science.