The Enlightenment- Attitudes of Society

983 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The age of enlightenment society

The Enlightenment- Attitudes of Society

The Enlightenment brought about fundamental changes of thought in society.1 Philosophes such as Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau sought changes in society for the good of humanity. In addition to basic changes in society, the enlightenment brought about changes in thought in the areas of religion and science, the government, and the view of women.

During the enlightenment, basic changes occurred in society. The philosophes helped bring about freedom of thought and speech, two freedoms which we often take for granted today. People became more educated, as a "print culture" emerged. Journals, newspapers and books were beginning to be widely available to the general public. This had both negative and positive impacts. The literate and illiterate became divided, and the illiterate poor only became poorer. However, the "print culture" did create the influential social force of public opinion. Writers wrote what their audiences wanted to hear, and that translated into a governmental awareness of public opinion. Governments tried to regulate and censor books, but they could not ignore the public’s criticisms of the government. The changes in society created a general sentiment of self-interest. People wanted to promote their happiness and welfare, and they were "confident and optimistic that they could discover natural law and perfect worlds." Sometimes, there was an "exaggerated belief in the perfectibility of man," such as in the sciences, which were still in early stages.2

The conflict between religion and science was one of the major issues of the enlightenment. New theories were being developed (like Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation) which went against the teachings of the c...

... middle of paper ...

... thought were developed, governments were changed, and even though the philosophes were not really feminists, society’s views of women were changed, with the help of Mary Wollstonecraft.

End notes

1. Snyder, Louis L. The Age of Reason. (NY: VanNostrand Reinhold Co, 1955), 13.

2. Snyder, 8.

3. Snyder, 8-11.

4. Scheider, Isidor. The Enlightenment: Culture of the 18th Century, (NY: George

Braziller, Inc, 1965), 19.

5. Cody, David. "Deism." The Victorian Web.

http://landow.stg.brown.edu/victorian/religion/deism.html.

(10 April 00).

6. Susan Gubar, "Feminist Misogyny: Mary Wollstonecraft and the Paradox of 'It Takes One

to Know One," Feminist Studies, 20 (Fall 94): 455.

7. D.R. Woolf, "A Feminine Past? Gender, Genre and Historical Knowledge in England, 1500-

1800." American Historical Review, 102 (June 97), 667-668.

Show More
Related

  • The Age of Enlightenment and Rebellion against Authority

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    As can be seen from it effects on the philosophies of the time, the idea of science, and the monarchial system of Absolutism, the spirit of the Enlightenment was one of change and a rebellion against authority. This change was grand, indeed, for they have lasted through until the Modern Age and the 21st Century. Today's system of government is simply an evolution of the revolution which took place during the Enlightenment. Perhaps, without the spirit of change brought on by the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, we would not have many of the advantages that man, today, enjoys.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Enlightenment And Great Awakening

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Enlightenment political thought helped the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in England. James II wanted to strengthen his royal power alone and weaken the militia while raising his own army. The Enlightenment helped the English opponent to come forth and overthrow their king with the help of the Prince William of Orange and his wife Mary. They then reestablished the monarchy and accepted the Parliaments Bill of Rights. With the Enlightenment period, individuals helped get their words out and they learned to questions their ideals and beliefs. With the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the individuals were able to overthrown their king and establish the representative government and that a well-regulated militia under the locals control was best for everyone. The Enlightenment political thought helped the Glorious Revolution to establish a representative government and take control on what’s best for

    Read More

  • How Did The Enlightenment A Turning Point In History

    531 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Enlightenment was a major turning point in history. Multiple ideas that were established during the Enlightenment were eventually utilized in many government systems. Although some people known as “Enlightened Despots” did not accept the ideas developed by people such as John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Ultimately, the Enlightenment ideas showed that they were more powerful and were more significant than the power of the army.

    Read More

  • Western Civilization: The French Revolution

    1633 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Enlightenment itself ignited the changes in perspective that were needed to provoke improvement in society and set new standards for our future. These standards spread rather rapidly across Europe and eventually to America and challenged the old order. These ideas of rational thinking over religion and authority delivered a vast political change throughout the world which can still be felt today. These revolutionary thoughts of rationalism brought on freedom of speech and the demand for equality in society. This was not only the igniter to the French revolution but was also, how many governments including the United States based their modern

    Read More

  • Classical Liberalism: Two Treatises on Government by John Locke

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...overnment to guide them but not have absolute power and to rule with the consent of the governed (Locke). These ideals also influenced the revolution in France which jumpstarted their new government system. The Enlightenment had a long lasting impact on the world and without it the world would be a different place today.

    Read More

  • Candide Chapter 1 Summary

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    The church’s robust grip on religious expression shattered as medieval society transitioned into a period known as the Reformation. Characterized by the rejection of common ideology, the Reformation sparked religious curiosity. Reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther offered interpretations of the Bible in direct opposition to the Catholic Church’s teachings, forcing Europeans to examine and formulate their own beliefs. This style of thinking was foreign to European society because up to this point in history Europeans were passive absorbers of Catholic Church ideology. Hence, it was natural that an era considered the Age of Enlightenment followed the period of rejection and questioning known as the Reformation. The Age of Enlightenment did not merely confine itself to religious expression, but spread throughout natural and social science. Thus, the Age of Enlightenment marked the beginning of academic and religious philosophy and allowed great minds to think free from restriction and condemnation of established institution. As the perception of natural

    Read More

  • Thomas Paine and Mary Wollstonecraft

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    Mary Wollstonecraft was as revolutionary in her writings as Thomas Paine. They were both very effective writers and conveyed the messages of their ideas quite well even though both only had only the most basic education. Wollstonecraft was a woman writing about women's rights at a time when these rights were simply non-existent and this made her different from Paine because she was breaking new ground, thus making her unique. Throughout her lifetime, Wollstonecraft wrote about the misconception that women did not need an education, but were only meant to be submissive to man. Women were treated like a decoration that had no real function except to amuse and beguile. Wollstonecraft was the true leader in women's rights, advocating a partnership in relationships and marriage rather than a dictatorship. She was firm in her conviction that education would give women the ability to take a more active role in life itself.

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment Essay

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Enlightenment is a unique time in European history characterized by revolutions in science, philosophy, society, and politics. These revolutions put Europe in a transition from the medieval world-view to the modern western world. The traditional hierarchical political and social orders from the French monarchy and Catholic Church were destroyed and replaced by a political and social order from the Enlightenment ideals of freedom and equality(Bristow, 1). Many historians, such as Henry Steele Commager, Peter Gay, have studied the Enlightenment over the years and created their own views and opinions.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Factors That Changed The Period Of 1450-1700

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Enlightenment challenged what was previously thought to be the way of life. Prior to the Enlightenment whatever you were born into that was it, you were stuck and had no say in if you could receive power or money, you were the king’s subject, but the Enlightenment changed the role of the people from subject to citizen. This switch gave the people abilities that were never seen before 1450. It became a change and with the movement from subject to citizen, questions started surfacing and with those questions came action, and with that action came a new era for human rights. Human rights were improved across the board, from African Americans to women to the citizen. Without the Enlightenment some powers that needed to be changed like that of slavery may never had been

    Read More

  • The Enlightment Caused the French Revolution

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Enlightenment encouraged people to question divine right, the God-given authority rulers claimed to have (Enlightenment, Its Origins and the French Revolution 15). Finally, it made the third estate realize how the taxation was simply greed. It made their eyes open to the fact that they were paying taxes so the state, clergy, and nobles wouldn’t suffer financially.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • Great Awakening vs Enlightenment

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...but it also significantly altered the scientific community. People such as Francis Bacon, John Locke, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and many more, helped to spread ideals that would become a crucial turning point in the thought process of people during the seventeenth century. Without the important scientific and intellectual advances that occurred during the Enlightenment period, countless other important events and inventions that were sparked by them would also be nonexistent. There is no way of telling how history’s course would be different had the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment not occurred, but the fact is that they did. And what is known is that religion, science, government and politics, beliefs, relations between humans, society, and human perspective were all significantly altered by the wide-ranging metamorphoses inspired by these movements.

    Read More

  • Writers During The Age of Discovery and The Romantic Period

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the Age of enlightenment people began to reform society using reason, challenge ideas of tyranny and of the Roman Catholic Curch. People for the first time started advancing knowledge through the use of the scientific method. Enlightenment type thinking has had a huge impact on the culture, politics, and g...

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The Scientific Revolution

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...wever, in the best interest of advancing education and an enlightened society, science must be pursued outside of the realm of faith and religion. There are obvious faith-based and untestable aspects of religion, but to interfere and cross over into everyday affairs of knowledge should not occur in the informational age. This overbearing aspect of the Church’s influence was put in check with the scientific era, and the Scientific Revolution in a sense established the facet of logic in society, which allows us to not only live more efficiently, but intelligently as well. It should not take away from the faith aspect of religion, but serve to enhance it.

    Read More

  • Mary Wollstonecraft

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mary Wollstonecraft: the Mother of Modern Feminism Mary Wollstonecraft was a self-educated, radical philosopher who wrote about liberation, and empowering women. She had a powerful voice in her views on the rights of women to get good education and career opportunities. She pioneered the debate for women’s rights, inspiring many of the 19th and the 20th century’s writers and philosophers to fight for women’s rights, as well. She did not only criticize men for not giving women their rights, she also put blame on women for being voiceless and subservient. Her life and, the surrounding events of her time, accompanied by the strong will of her, had surely affected the way she chose to live her life, and to form her own philosophies.

    Read More

  • The Impact of the Scientific Revolution on Society and Religion

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over the course of the years, society has been reformed by new ideas of science. We learn more and more about global warming, outer space, and technology. However, this pattern of gaining knowledge did not pick up significantly until the Scientific Revolution. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the Scientific Revolution started, which concerned the fields of astronomy, mechanics, and medicine. These new scientists used math and observations strongly contradicting religious thought at the time, which was dependent on the Aristotelian-Ptolemy theory. However, astronomers like Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton accepted the heliocentric theory. Astronomical findings of the Scientific Revolution disproved the fact that humans were the center of everything, ultimately causing people to question theology’s role in science and sparking the idea that people were capable of reasoning for themselves.

    Read More

More about The Enlightenment- Attitudes of Society

Open Document