The Enlightenment Flashcards
What was the Enlightenment?
The Enlightenment, also known as ‘The Age of Reason’, was defined by Kant as “humans emerging from their self-imposed immaturity”, blaming the church for keeping people ignorant in order to control them more easily.
When did the Enlightenment happen?
- The traditional view is 1685-1815 or ‘The Long 18th Century’ but there is a controversy around the time-frame as the start is debatable.
- Should we include Bayle and Locke in the late 17th Century?
- Is it over before 1789 which is when most of the philisophes were dead?
What inspired the Enlightenment figures?
They were fascinated with science and c17 Science Revolution
How was the Enlightenment significant?
- Challenged traditional ideas
- Allowed reform to take place
- Possibly led to the French Revolution
How was The Enlightenment perceived?
It was seen as a mode of thought and the subsequent application of rational/critical ideas to society
What was the goal of the Enlightenment?
Developing the ‘science of man’ and moving away from the church, focusing more on scientific, rational thought.
What were the concerns for The Enlightenment?
- Human dignity - basic humanity gives us human rights, freedom from religion, fair laws, treated with respect, liberty (abolition of slavery etc).
- The rational organisation of society could lead to practical reform, think freely in how it could be made better. The Enlightenment wasn’t abstract.
- Logic of criticism/ questioning
What did Peter Gay believe?
He thought The Enlightenment was mainly a French movement with a focus on Voltaire, d’Holbach, Diderot, d’Alembert and reflected on the prestige and influence of French thinkers and culture.
E.g. Frederick II of Prussia spoke and wrote in French, corresponded with Voltaire, despised German writers
How was The Enlightenment perceived in more modern times?
It was more of a national movement, including the Italian, German, Scottish, English (porter & Teich The Enlightenment in the National Context). This was because 1. Beccaria (an Italian jurist) had new ideas about crime/ punishment & German educational reformer Felbiger
2. As a significant number of German enlightenment thinkers were state officials (e.g. Sonnenfels, Martini)
What did Voltaire do?
He popularized Newton’s ideas in Lettres Philosophiques
How did the Germans look at The Enlightenment?
The Germans saw it as a practical reforming German enlightenment, not a theoretical/ critical French enlightenment
How did the Romanticists look at The Enlightenment?
- Romantics criticise enlightenment as shallow rationalism that ended in failures of French Revolution
- Ideas corrode respect for monarchy/hierarchy/religion
Who attacked The Enlightenment and why?
Counter-revolutionaries (Joseph de Maistre) and conservatives (Burke) attack enlightenment as the cause of the French Revolution. They thought the ideas corroded respect for monarchy/hierarchy/religion
How do modern philosophers view The Enlightenment and why?
20th Century philosophers read enlightenment forwards into modern brutality: for Adorno enlightenment ended in concentration camp, Talmon links enlightenment to totalitarianism, for Foucault enlightenment meant the coercion/ exclusion of those perceived as deviant from norm
How did feminist historians view The Enlightenment and why?
They saw it as a male-dominated movement with tendency to exclude/restrcict women and the promote idea of separate spheres with women confined to domestic sphere (Joan Landes)
