The Essence of the Age of Enlightenment - Assignment Example

1. What was existence and reality like during the Enlightenment? To live during the Enlightenment is to know that there is a radical change going on—that is, a change for the better that can only be brought about by social reform and the prevalence of a certain attitude that was unlike what the previous years have seen. This attidude is the openness to new knowledge and the breaking free of the limitations imposed upon them by the strict moral and religious codes brought about by Christianity and the immersion in the supernatural—the return to the natural sciences that are of this world and thus can be perceived, observed, and experienced. To live during this period is to turn your back on the strict moral codes of the Church, as it is considered to be highly supernatural and therefore unreasonable. Human reason is then employed towards the study of natural sciences as a means for improving society and bringing about social reform, instead of dwelling on the supernatural and metaphysical aspects of existence as what medieval thinkers did. It can be called practicality, but what is important is that the thinkers during the Enlightenment sought to better the conditions of life, in terms of social, political, and natural existence by acquiring new knowledge. They did not just think for the sake of thinking or rationalize things for the sake of academic recognition or personal achievement. They used their reason, together with an optimistic attitude, for a common goal—and that is social reform. This attitude towards the focus and attention on Nature and Reason is grounded on the reality of the world back then. The late 17th century to 18th century was characterized by the emergence of the “New Europe” (The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe 3). The New Europe was not wanting in goods and wealth as the continent already left behind an agrarian economy with trade and commerce growing to advantageous proportions and the Industrial Revolution just knocking on their doors (The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe 3). This newfound wealth opened many avenues and thinkers found themselves face t face with new opportunities that were within their reach (The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe 3). So, their optimism grew and was fostered. Thus, the reality of the world at that time unlocked the door that opened up the possibility of social reform and the adoption of a positive outlook towards it. To exist during the time of the Enlightenment, then, is to be optimistic about social reform through the approach of returning to nature and working together in focusing all rational thought on the different areas of natural sciences and human knowledge. To become a thinker during the Enlightenment, in the truest sense of the phrase, is to open your mind to the possibilities of the natral world and the capabilities of human reason to achieve new and useful knowledge. 2. Why is it called the Enlightenment? The Enlightenment was said to be the period between the years 1687 and 1789 that is characterized by the abandonment of previous schools of thought, more specifically, those of the Medieval Times. The Age of Enlightenment was the revolution of knowledge in that the people during that time “dared to know” (The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe 2). They worked towards the desertion of the medival amalgamation—exemplified mainly by the superstition (The Church and Christianity) and metapysics that pervaded the medieval life—towards the study of nature and human reason, as humanity is a part of nature. Thus, this period in history can be distinguished from other epochs through the torrent of new knowledge in almost every field of human undertaking. The period was then named the Age of Enlightenment for as Kant (quoted in The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe 3) asserted, the age was characterized by the people’s use of their own understanding and reason to take control of their lives and not to rely on the constructs that insttutions like the Church has dictated upon them. Indeed, the period epitomizes the encouragement of individual to enighten his or her mind in order to gain new knowledge that would help him or her progress and society, in general. The going back to nature and reason is the way to do this, at the same time, creating a history that they can consider their own. The thinkers of this period were so confident in their special tasks and goals that they named the period Enlightenment, in all the major languages of Europe—for it is the time when they turn their backs on the previous systems propagated by great thinkers like Aristotle, Plato, and Erasmus (The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe 2). Here, they have the opportunity of creating an identity that is so far from the great thinkers’. And they sure took advantage of this by making their marks in the different fields of social sciences—and also, by naming their period the Enlightenment. Kant also emphasized that this period is the Age of Enlightenment and not the Enlightened Age as the process of enlightenment just began and was still in progress during that time (The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe 3). 3. What is meant by Criticism or to be critical according to Enlightenment thought? The philosophe is considered to be the new breed of philosophers who were characterized as cosmopolitan, humanists, men of letters, and persuasive writers that are in no way affiliated with the Church or the University (The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe 9). In short, these are how the thinkers of the Enlightenment were regarded. They can be likened to families who squabble and argue over many things, yet still manage to set aside their individual issues to come together in times of crises (The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe 10). The philosophes are also an international group with different ideals, beliefs, and approaches. This is the reason why they cannot be considered as a school of thought as they are diverse in nature and coming from all nationalities, mainly in Europe. Nonetheless, the qualities attributed above are common to the members of the philosophes, as well as the fact that all of them have the experience of discarding the Christian beliefs that they were born into (The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe 11-12). Despite the many differences of the philosophes as individuals, the unifying factor in their familial relationship is their strong belief in the power of criticism (The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe 13). The philosophes view criticism only as constructive criticism (13). Criticism became their primary tool in clearing the path to new knowledge from the prejudices, superstition, blindness, and ignorance that the medieval order propagated (13). Because the Enlightenment is all about abolishing the medieval amalgamation, criticism then became the instrument that questions the very pillars of power that the medieval order erected—significantly, politics, religion, and sexual morality (13). Everything is criticized in order to construct a new form of order based on reason and anything who fails the test of reason was considered to be unreasonable (14). Criticism, then, became the philosophes’ offensive approach towards the medieval order. It also served to sharpen the minds of the philosophes for all of their skills in reasoning must be employed in order to be able to truthfully and correctly criticize (14). The process of criticism also brings about the discovery of new knowledge. Thus, criticism came to epitomize the Enlightenment as it served the motto of acquiring new knowledge and the abandonment of medieval synthesis. 4. Explain each of the seven points mentioned on page 313 in your book-in your own words! It can be said that the essence of the Age of Enlightenment rests on seven points. First is opposition to authority. As the French thinkers during that time went to England, which was considered to be the heart of Enlightenment during its early years, they found themselves fascinated by the ideas of Sir Isaac Newton and John Locke (Gaarder 314). Once back in France, their atttude towards the old authority became one of skepticism (Gaarder 314). They did not readily accept things for what they were for they now believe in the value of individual understanding in that they, as individuals, should be able to decide for themselves what they should accept as true or not. The inherited truths then meant nothing unless they were able to pass through the skeptical minds of the French thinkers. Another thing that the French Enlightenment philosophers picked up from Locke is rationalism (Gaarder 315). The Age of Enlightenment is mainly characterized by the dependence of the thinkers on human reason and empiricism. So much so, in fact, that in France, the Age of Reason is synonymous with the Enlightenment (Gaarder 315). While the opposition to authority can be seen as the abolition of the medieval order, human reason became a tool that laid down the foundations of the new understanding of morality, politics, ethics and religion (Gaarder 315). This rebuilding through the use of human reason then paved the way for the Enlightenment Movement (Gaarder 315). The philosophers decided to enlighten the public with what they have found in order to create social reforms for the betterment of society. Educating the masses is again another form of the philosophers’ aggression towards the medieval order in that this is their way of battling superstition and ingorance (315). Even though the Middle Ages propagated schools, the profession of teaching was first introduced and given importance during the Enlightenment (315). The attitude that the philosophers adopted is cultural optimism. The Enlightenment Movement, its essence, goals, and approaches can only be characterized as cultural optimism for the philosophers believed that if they continue in their skepticism and the education of the masses, they will come a time when superstition and ignorance will be eradicated and humanity will be enightened (316). The crucial approach in order to attain social reform is to abandon the old order in favor of returning to nature (316). Since nature is innately good, therefore, so is human reason as it is a part of nature. Because of this inherent goodness in nature, it was concluded that it was necessary to return to natural religion in order to reconcile a working agreement between reason and religion—for it is only in this way that society can successfully evolve peacefully and harmoniuosly (317). Although the belief in God was widely contested by the philosophers in that some believe there is no God, some do, while some consider themsele Deists, the consensus was that it follows human reason to believe in the existence of God (317). In order to create a natural religion, the philosophers concluded that there should be a sieving of irrational teachings until only the most original and simplest of Jesus’ teachings are left (317). However, the teachings of the Enlightenment cannot be made into social reform if they remain as theories and were not being practiced. This is what the French philosophers can take pride in for they practice their theories in their daily lives. Thus, they lobbied for the natural rights of man—otherwise known as the Human Rights. They fought for what is now stated in the constitution of mot nations—the freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and the abolition of slavery, to name a few (318). In fact they were able to accomplish the signing of the Declaration of Man and Citizen by the French national Assembly in 1789, which is ironically the year when the Enlightenment drew to an end (318). Works Cited Gaarder, Jostein. Title of Book. Place of Publication. Publisher, year, pp. 313-318. Author. The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe. Place of Publication. Publisher, year, pp. 1-14. Read More