Age of Enlightenment

One can see how the Age of Enlightenment affected many people in the eighteenth century. The eighteenth century consisted of a time of change as well as an upbringing of tradition. When it comes to the Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution played a big role. The German philosopher Immanuel Kant, “defined the Enlightenment as ‘man’s leaving his self-caused immaturity” (377). Within previous periods of time, people were in sense impaired when it came to using their own intelligence to further one’s knowledge alone. A person felt as though alone, their intelligence wasn’t enough to pursue certain activities nor was their own intelligence suffices to further their thoughts. One may feel such a way today; one may feel that rather than pursuing knowledge alone, they need someone else’s knowledge to assist them. One can see how the need of another’s knowledge was such an issue due to Kant’s motto “dare to know! Have the courage to use your own intelligence!” (377). The Enlightenment for a better understanding, consisted of many people who had the urge to know more than they already did.

Within the Enlightenment, there were three connected central concepts those being reason, natural law, and progress. Reason, being the promotion of “the application of the scientific method to the understanding of life” (377). With this being said, intellectuals were stating that the methods within the scientific method could be used in every aspect of life in order to accomplish their urge of further knowledge as well as bettering society. The scientific method as well as the Scientific Revolution played an outstanding role in establishing the concept of reason. As for natural law, one can see how such social norms and values were necessary. Rather t...

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...and above all, social reformers” (379).

John Locke played a big role with his works. John Locke in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, he denied Descartes beliefs. Locke argued that everybody was born with a blank slate. By that he meant that everybody learned based on their experiences in life. Therefore by changing the environment like the Enlighteners wanted to, they would be able to change people by changing the environment and their surroundings. Voltaire played a big role in the Enlightenment as well with his Treatise on Toleration. In this writing he argued “religious toleration had created problems for England and Holland…” (380). He also stated that through God everyone is related. Having said that, one can see how the purpose of the Enlightenment through reason, natural law, and progress were used to create better societies as well as better people.