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¶ … Enlightenment worldview and how it impacted society and human relations
The Enlightenment's emphasis on a rational understanding of the human condition marked a fundamental break with the previous worldview of the Middle Ages which preceded it. Rather than faith, the Enlightenment placed a new emphasis on scientific observation and rationalism as the best way to understand the world. It also stressed the value of human beings and the world of the here and now versus the hereafter. This disdain for tradition and celebration of reason led to a political revolution in both philosophy and government. More and more people questioned the divine right of kings and demanded a voice for the people in the way their government was legislated.
The scientific revolution of the sixteenth and seventeenth century "undermines not only the ancient geocentric conception of the cosmos, but, with it, the entire set of presuppositions that had served to constrain and guide philosophical inquiry."[footnoteRef:1] Rather than conceiving of the universe as a mystery understandable only by God, Enlightenment scientists strove to understand the world from observations, facts, and calculations. "Newton's system strongly encourages the Enlightenment conception of nature as an orderly domain governed by strict mathematical-dynamical laws and the conception of ourselves as capable...
Its orderly nature meant that human beings, without the oversight of a religious or political authority could engage in a process of discovery and challenge existing norms, including the inequalities of their society. [1: William Bristow, "Enlightenment," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2011, http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2011/entries/enlightenment (accessed December 29, 2015)] [2: Ibid.]
The rise of empiricism was also a noteworthy development during the Enlightenment. John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) was a seminal work in which Locke "undertakes in this work to examine the human understanding in order to determine the limits of human knowledge; he thereby institutes a prominent pattern of Enlightenment epistemology."[footnoteRef:3] Locke's Second Treatise of Government (1690) was also critical in establishing the notion of inalienable human rights that could not be taken away by a sovereign. Human beings naturally existed in a state of equality (versus living under a doctrine of the divine right of kings) and only conceded those rights in exchange for security and other social benefits. When the sovereign could no longer provide them, revolution was justified. The French philosopher…
Works Cited
Bristow, William. "Enlightenment." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2011.
http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2011/entries/enlightenment (accessed December 29, 2015)
Enlightenment and Scientific Method Robert Hollinger, in his essay "What is the Enlightenment?," notes the centrality of science to the "Enlightenment project," as he defines it, offering as one of the four basic tenets that constitute the "basic ideas of the Enlightenment" the view that "only a society based on science and universal values is truly free and rational: only its inhabitants can be happy." (Smith 1998, p. 71). As Smith
Interestingly, it his Siddhartha's desire to leave the Brahmin world that starts his quest, and a Brahmin word that starts him on the path to completion. Siddhartha has come full circle to find his path to enlightenment. This moment of revelation is followed by one of horror brought on by total and complete self-awareness, and the Siddhartha passes out. He awakes from a deep sleep, "and it seemed to him
Revolution could never be warranted under Hobbes' scheme; the contract implied that the sovereign power could do no wrong as it had been given full right to act for the populous. Locke took parts of the social contract theory, but had a far more liberal approach. He believed, like Hobbes, that the reason for the establishment of a government or any sort of civil society was to find a
82) because he had to find a bridge from the old paradigm to the new one. He argued that science could restore man to the dominion he enjoyed before the "Fall" (caused by ignorance). Some scholars argue that Bacon never saw any environmental change as undesirable and viewed all science as good. Rene Descartes also profoundly influenced the modern idea of nature. He argued that mind and matter are distinct
Works Cited Baumgarten, Linda. (2002). What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America: The Colonial Williamsburg Collection. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Bilhartz, Terry D., and Elliott, Alan C. (2007). Currents in American History: A Brief History of the United States, Volume 1. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. Crunden, Robert Morse. (1996). A Brief History of American Culture. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. Fisher, John Hurt. (2001). "British and American, Continuity and Divergence"
Rather, corruption continued and the widespread execution of revolutionaries by Maximilien Robespierre and Louis de Saint-Just of the Committee of Safety was largely justified with the radicalized views of Enlightenment philosopher Rousseau with regard to the revolution (Church; Lefebvre; Rude). Robespierre's distorted perception of Rousseau's views lead to an adamant and unwaivering desire to drive the revolution forward at any cost, including that of substantial human life. Robespierre was