4.1 - Enlightenment Flashcards
why was the 18th century called the age of reason?
because of the dominance of the intellectual revolution (enlightenment).
how did the revolutions in the 18th century start?
at the beginning of the century louis XIV had control of france, by the end of the century the french monarchy had fallen. He was executed by the national assembly of the french revolution.
Explain the enlightenment
refers to the 18th-century european emphasis on the mind´s power to reason, in contrast to the mind´s yearning for religious faith, which a number of enlightenment thinkers saw as superstition.
the enlightenment continued an emphasis on secular concerns that began during the renaissance and continued with the rise of scientific and philosophical thought during the 17th century. 18th century political and philosophical ideals included freedom from tyranny and superstition and a belief in the essential goodness of human nature with the equality of men.
which 2 movements did we see through the 17th-18th century?
age of reason (marks the emphasis on rationality) and the neoclassical (testifies to the influence of classical antiquity).
explain enlightenment thinkers.
emphasized the common nature of human experience ignoring differences in social, cultural and religious values. composers sought universal musical forms. writers celebrated constancy and continuity, encouraging a respect for tradition and convention especially in literature and the arts.
they were not however supporters of the status-quo. they used they analytical powers to attack the hypocrisies of the age. as much as they celebrated the power of reason, they did not fail to notice when human behaviour was guided by passion, selfishness and irrationality.
who were the philosophes?
a group embodied in the enlightenment. these thinkers believed that through reason, humankind could achieve a perfect society of perpetual peace, order and harmony.
championed the possibility of democratic rule; they feared tyranny most of all. they denounced intolerance in matters of religious belef which had continued since the reformation to disrupt society. they also advocated education, opposed to the church-controlled.
explain rational humanism
based on the belief that through rational, careful thought, progress is inevitable. like humanists of the renaissance they believed progress is possible only through learning and through the individuals freedom to learn.
this logic links them with the 2 great political revolutions of the day, in america and france, and with a few political documents :
- declaration of independence
- declaration of the rights of man and citizen
- constitution of the united states
they believed that any political system that strives to suppress freedom of thought must be overthrown as an obstacle to progress.
explain the age of enlightenment in france.
le siécle des lumiéres. during this time french luminaries (diderot, montesquieu, rosseau, voltaire) shed their philosophical light of reason on all things. rationalism meant individual rights, religious freedom, equality, humanism, tolerance, and sanctity of nature. the french encyclopedia (1751-1776) collected and celebrated this new knowledge.
in which 2 perspectives was the age of enlightenment split?
empiricists (like david hume) who studied what had happened, analyzed what could be tested and verified by the senses, and predicted what could follow. on the other side idealists or visionaries (jean jacques rosseau) who postulated theories about society basing their ideas on what could be dreamed hoped or imagined.
