what happened in england that led to the age of reason?

April 03, 2022 Post a Comment

21.1: The Age of Enlightenment

21.1.i: Enlightenment Ideals

Centered on the idea that reason is the master source of authority and legitimacy, the Enlightenment was a philosophical movement that dominated the earth of ideas in Europe in the 18th century.

Learning Objective

Identify the cadre ideas that collection the Age of Enlightenment

Fundamental Points

The Historic period of Enlightenment was a philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe in the 18th century. Centered on the idea that reason is the primary source of authorization and legitimacy, this move advocated such ideals as liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional authorities, and separation of church and state.
There is little consensus on the precise beginning of the Historic period of Enlightenment, only the get-go of the 18th century (1701) or the middle of the 17th century (1650) are commonly identified as starting points. French historians commonly place the period between 1715 and 1789. Most scholars use the last years of the century, often choosing the French Revolution of 1789 or the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1804–15) to appointment the end of the Enlightenment.
The Enlightenment took concord in virtually European countries, often with a specific local emphasis. The cultural exchange during the Age of Enlightenment ran betwixt particular European countries and besides in both directions beyond the Atlantic.
In that location were ii singled-out lines of Enlightenment idea. The radical Enlightenment advocated democracy, individual liberty, liberty of expression, and eradication of religious authorization. A second, more moderate variety sought adaptation between reform and the traditional systems of power and faith.
Science came to play a leading part in Enlightenment discourse and thought. The Enlightenment has long been hailed as the foundation of modern Western political and intellectual culture. It brought political modernization to the West. In religion, Enlightenment era commentary was a response to the preceding century of religious disharmonize in Europe.
Historians of race, gender, and grade note that Enlightenment ethics were non originally envisioned as universal in the today'south sense of the word. Although they did somewhen inspire the struggles for rights of people of color, women, or the working masses, well-nigh Enlightenment thinkers did non abet equality for all, regardless of race, gender, or course, but rather insisted that rights and freedoms were not hereditary.

Central Terms

reductionism: Several related but distinct philosophical positions regarding the connections between theories, "reducing" one idea to another, more basic one. In the sciences, its methodologies try to explain entire systems in terms of their private, constituent parts and interactions.
scientific method: A body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous cognition that utilise empirical or measurable evidence field of study to specific principles of reasoning. It has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting of systematic observation, measurement, and experimentation, and the conception, testing, and modification of hypotheses.
cogito ergo sum: A Latin philosophical suggestion by René Descartes usually translated into English as "I think, therefore I am." The phrase originally appeared in his Soapbox on the Method. This proposition became a fundamental element of Western philosophy, every bit it purported to form a secure foundation for knowledge in the confront of radical doubtfulness. While other knowledge could exist a figment of imagination, deception, or mistake, Descartes asserted that the very human action of doubting one'southward own beingness served—at minimum—as proof of the reality of one's own mind.
empiricism: The theory that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience. Information technology emphasizes evidence, especially data gathered through experimentation and use of the scientific method.

The Age of Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment, also known as the Enlightenment, was a philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe in the 18th century. Centered on the idea that reason is the main source of authority and legitimacy, this motility advocated such ethics as liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional regime, and separation of church and country. The Enlightenment was marked by an emphasis on the scientific method and reductionism along with increased questioning of religious orthodoxy. The cadre ideas advocated by mod democracies, including the civil guild, man and civil rights, and separation of powers, are the production of the Enlightenment. Furthermore, the sciences and academic disciplines (including social sciences and the humanities) equally we know them today, based on empirical methods, are also rooted in the Age of Enlightenment. All these developments, which followed and partly overlapped with the European exploration and colonization of the Americas and the intensification of the European presence in Asia and Africa, brand the Enlightenment a starting bespeak of what some historians define as the European Moment in Earth History: the long period of ofttimes tragic European domination over the residuum of the world.

There is little consensus on the precise commencement of the Age of Enlightenment, with the commencement of the 18th century (1701) or the eye of the 17th century (1650) oftentimes considered starting points. French historians usually place the period between 1715 and 1789, from the start of the reign of Louis Xv until the French Revolution. In the mid-17th century, the Enlightenment traces its origins to Descartes' Discourse on Method, published in 1637. In France, many cite the publication of Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica in 1687. Some historians and philosophers have argued that the starting time of the Enlightenment is when Descartes shifted the epistemological ground from external authority to internal certainty by his cogito ergo sum (1637).

Every bit to its stop, most scholars use the terminal years of the century, often choosing the French Revolution of 1789 or the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1804–xv) to engagement the end of the Enlightenment.

National Varieties

The Enlightenment took concord in most European countries, often with a specific local emphasis. For example, in French republic it became associated with anti-government and anti-Church radicalism, while in Federal republic of germany information technology reached deep into the centre classes and took a spiritualistic and nationalistic tone without threatening governments or established churches. Government responses varied widely. In France, the authorities was hostile and Enlightenment thinkers fought against its censorship, sometimes being imprisoned or hounded into exile. The British government largely ignored the Enlightenment's leaders in England and Scotland. The Scottish Enlightenment, with its generally liberal Calvinist and Newtonian focus, played a major office in the further development of the transatlantic Enlightenment. In Italy, the significant reduction in the Church's ability led to a period of great idea and invention, including scientific discoveries. In Russia, the government began to actively encourage the proliferation of arts and sciences in the mid-18th century. This era produced the offset Russian university, library, theater, public museum, and contained printing. Several Americans, especially Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, played a major function in bringing Enlightenment ideas to the New World and in influencing British and French thinkers. The cultural exchange during the Historic period of Enlightenment ran in both directions across the Atlantic. In their development of the ideas of natural freedom, Europeans and American thinkers drew from American Indian cultural practices and behavior.

Outset folio of the Encyclopedie published between 1751 and 1766.

The prime example of reference works that systematized scientific cognition in the Age of Enlightenment were universal encyclopedias rather than technical dictionaries. Information technology was the goal of universal encyclopedias to record all man knowledge in a comprehensive reference work. The well-nigh well-known of these works is Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert's Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. The work, which began publication in 1751, was composed of thirty-v volumes and over 71,000 separate entries. A groovy number of the entries were dedicated to describing the sciences and crafts in detail, and provided intellectuals beyond Europe with a high-quality survey of human cognition.

Major Enlightenment Ideas

In the mid-18th century, Europe witnessed an explosion of philosophic and scientific activeness that challenged traditional doctrines and dogmas. The philosophic motion was led by Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who argued for a society based upon reason rather than faith and Cosmic doctrine, for a new civil order based on natural law, and for science based on experiments and ascertainment. The political philosopher Montesquieu introduced the idea of a separation of powers in a government, a concept which was enthusiastically adopted by the authors of the Us Constitution.

There were ii distinct lines of Enlightenment thought. The radical enlightenment, inspired by the philosophy of Spinoza, advocated democracy, private liberty, freedom of expression, and eradication of religious authority. A 2d, more than moderate diversity, supported by René Descartes, John Locke, Christian Wolff, Isaac Newton and others, sought accommodation betwixt reform and the traditional systems of ability and faith.

Science came to play a leading function in Enlightenment soapbox and idea. Many Enlightenment writers and thinkers had backgrounds in the sciences and associated scientific advancement with the overthrow of religion and traditional potency in favor of the development of free speech and thought. Broadly speaking, Enlightenment scientific discipline greatly valued empiricism and rational thought and was embedded with the Enlightenment platonic of advancement and progress. Even so, as with near Enlightenment views, the benefits of science were non seen universally.

The Enlightenment has also long been hailed as the foundation of modern Western political and intellectual culture. Information technology brought political modernization to the West in terms of focusing on democratic values and institutions and the cosmos of modern, liberal democracies. The fundamentals of European liberal thought, including the right of the individual, the natural equality of all men, the separation of powers, the artificial character of the political gild (which led to the later stardom between civil society and the state), the view that all legitimate political ability must be "representative" and based on the consent of the people, and liberal interpretation of law that leaves people free to do any is non explicitly forbidden, were all developed past Enlightenment thinkers.

In religion, Enlightenment-era commentary was a response to the preceding century of religious conflict in Europe. Enlightenment thinkers sought to curtail the political power of religion and thereby preclude another age of intolerant religious war. A number of novel ideas developed, including deism (conventionalities in God the Creator, with no reference to the Bible or any other source) and atheism. The latter was much discussed but had few proponents. Many, like Voltaire, held that without belief in a God who punishes evil, the moral order of society was undermined.

Front page of The Gentleman's Magazine, founded by Edward Cave in London in January 1731.

The increased consumption of reading materials of all sorts was one of the cardinal features of the "social" Enlightenment. The Industrial Revolution immune consumer goods to be produced in greater quantities at lower prices, encouraging the spread of books, pamphlets, newspapers, and journals. Cave's innovation was to create a monthly digest of news and commentary on any topic the educated public might be interested in, from article prices to Latin poesy.

Impact

The ideas of the Enlightenment played a major role in inspiring the French Revolution, which began in 1789 and emphasized the rights of mutual men as opposed to the exclusive rights of the elites. As such, they laid the foundation for mod, rational, democratic societies. Yet, historians of race, gender, and class annotation that Enlightenment ideals were not originally envisioned every bit universal in the today'due south sense of the word. Although they did eventually inspire the struggles for rights of people of color, women, or the working masses, almost Enlightenment thinkers did not abet equality for all, regardless of race, gender, or grade, merely rather insisted that rights and freedoms were not hereditary (the heredity of power and rights was a mutual pre-Enlightenment assumption). This perspective directly attacked the traditionally sectional position of the European aristocracy only was however largely focused on expanding the rights of white males of a particular social standing.