Norton I Intro on the Restoration Norton

Norton I Intro on the Restoration

Norton I Introduction on the Restoration and 18th Century

The Period of the 18th Century in England was a time of great expansion and change.

People began moving from the country to the city/town during this time.

New likes were established that varied from the traditional arts scene.

The people living in town began to more openly express their likes/dislikes and the monarch became less an influence in deciding what was appropriate and what was not.

The country of England became divided politically as new parties emerged to represent its citizens.

The Tories supported the Crown, while the Whigs formed with a more progressive outlook and included nobles and clergymen.

The Toleration act provided freedom of worship.

Such acts and provisions would eventually become more commonplace as people began to realize differing viewpoints of the world.

Theories of old such as those of Aristotle became defunct as scientists such as Galileo uncovered scientific theories explaining much of lives phenomena.

A new interest in science and scientific theory developed among people due to a revolution in science during the 18th century.

The "Plurality of Words" became the topic du' jour within many towns and cities, as theories related to time and space "exploded."

Slave trade became a staple of the national economy during the 18th century.

Though England had not yet been a powerhouse of the slave trade, many other countries sought out slaves and engaged in frequent trade.

The industry resulted in a great loss of life and humanity at a time when most of humanity was just beginning to blossom and discover new possibilities and ways of thinking and reasoning.

Skeptical thinking and freethinking became important realities and human's living during this time began to reason more and question more things they experienced.

New fields of science and philosophy emerged that caused citizens to take a different viewpoint on nature and sentimentalism.

One major historical trend that occurred during the 18th century and restoration was the movement of thinking from philosophical to rational and scientific. The explosion in theory and thought that occurred at this time was due in part to new discoveries by individuals such as Galileo and Kepler (NAEL, 2003). People living during this century began to realize that the ideas of ancient philosophers were just that, simply ideas. Many went as far to label their ancestral thinking partners as "ignorant" (NAEL, 2003). A "revolution of science" (NAEL, 2003) took place during this time, which sparks new sources of interest and caused a move from traditional values amongst the people of England and particular. Greek and Roman ideals of art and beauty were still of great importance during this time, however people began moving away from the philosophies of old that deemed the ancient philosophers as all knowing. People began realizing that there was much more to the world than meets the eye.

The revolution in science that occurred marked a move toward an emphasis on reason vs. emotion and institution as the prime source of knowledge and reality (NAEL, 2003). The revolution in fact, may be considered the cause of this movement in thinking. Prior to the 18th century, the universe "had often seemed a small place, less than six thousand years old" (NAEL, 2003) whose substance consisted of the earth as the "center of the cosmos" (NAEL, 2003). During the 18th century, the invention and use of the microscope and telescope opened a new world of discovery for scientists, and the era is often heralded by the phrase "plurality of words" (NAEL, 2003). Interpreted, this can been analyzed signifying that a word has more than one meaning. In the case of the 18th century, scientists and philosophers as well as the common man began to realize that there was more than one meaning and interpretation for everything in life. People began questioning traditional values, and this in turn led to changes in other areas, such as the establishment of new political parties to express viewpoints differing from the monarch.

Many of the ideas however that prevailed during the 18th century may be considered alien to the prevailing ideas and beliefs of our own era. For example, the strong interest in the slave trade would be frowned upon in modern times. Also, the people living in the 18th century were surrounded by a multitude of discoveries, which caused them to challenge opinion and find life thrilling. During this time explorers freely "roamed the earth" and discovered "hitherto unknown countries and ways of life" (NAEL, 2003). The time of the 17th and 18th centuries were also times of expansion.

In our own era, not as much seems to be changing. Most of the world has been in essence, already discovered. Explorers do not necessarily roam the earth, though modern day scientists have branched out seeking new areas to conquer perhaps in space and in the sea. However, the values of skepticism, freethinking and scientific reality, all of which were blossoming during the time of the enlightenment, still prevail in much of the modern world today. Scientific institutions still rely on many of the discoveries initially unearthed by the eyes of early scientists such as Galileo.