THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

“Dare to Know” ~ Immanuel Kant

WHAT IS IT?

The Enlightenment was a movement that brought a change of thought or way of thinking to Europe. It occurred through intellectual discourse via individual publications, correspondence (letters) between intellectuals and rulers, and through conversations. As an intellectual movement it called for an emphasis on individualism and reason versus tradition, religious dogma, and superstition. It was inspired by ideas that came from the Scientific Revolution that called for deductive reasoning and rational thought verses blind acceptance of understandings grounded in mysticism. The movement was heavily influenced by the works and ideas of the philosophes or the philosophers that published enlightened ideas on how society should be organized and governed. The Enlightenment would bring new political ideologies and it would instigate revolutions in Europe and the Americas.

The Enlightenment is unique for a number of reasons

♣ It does not really have a beginning or an end♣ It is a movement of intellectual discourse and

change in thought that takes off in the 17th and 18th century, but it draws on old ideas championed in the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the Scientific Revolution

♣ It was coined by those who lived through it (rare in history)

IT’S UNIQUE

♦ To combat ignorance, superstition, and tyranny with human reason

♦ The primary targets were religion and a society dominated by hereditary aristocracy

♦ Enlightenment wanted a society based on meritocracy or a society where status and success were based on individual merit, innovation, and know-how

♦ Even though the Enlightenment targeted religion, this issue is complex – many Enlightenment thinkers were not atheist or anti-religion, but they did favor more separation between church and state.

ITS GOALS

♠ Ideas championed during the Enlightenment had been tossed around since antiquity

♠ However, these ideas were never able to impact any real change because of the lack of power and influence that the common man enjoyed throughout most of history

♠ As feudalism fell apart in the early modern era and the Catholic Church began to lose its control over the state after the Protestant Reformation, it became more possible for challenging ideas to spread and make an impact.

♠ Early philosophers who questioned society and shared new ideas were called scholastics and they influenced most Enlightenment thinkers

♠ The Enlightenment also channels ideas of Renaissance humanists and Protestantism’s emphasis on individualism and separation between church and state

BACKGROUND

♠ The Enlightenment also begins to develop in consequence of the changes brought by the Scientific Revolution

♠ The Scientific Rev. emphasized the importance of observation and deductive reasoning

♠ The Scientific Rev. also helped to popularize the idea that everyone has access to knowledge if they could just learn how to observe and study for themselves. (This is in contrast to the traditional idea that only Church leaders have real knowledge)

♠ Both the Scientific Rev. and the Enlightenment seek in part to find the best way to organize and govern a society

♠ Both movements do not entirely reject religion – Christianity is not as much under fire as much as “the Church” and its leaders

BACKGROUND

♥ Francis Bacon (1561-1626): argued that people should not rely on tradition to answer questions – they should rely only on the evidence from nature. He believed there was more knowledge to discover.

♥ Thomas Hobbs (1588-1679): argued that man would only seek those things which satisfied his appetite. Hobbs equated man to an animal – human nature was depraved. Therefore, Hobbs believed in strong government – an absolute government because without a strong government to keep society under control, chaos would result.

♥ John Locke (1632-1704): argued that man was born free and rational. As society advances, government is necessary to organize society. However, because man is free, the government enters into a social contract with the people it means to govern. In other words, power comes from the people. If a government became oppressive, then the government would be in breach of the social contract and the people could rise up and overthrow the current establishment. Locke rejected deductive reasoning and called for an empirical approach.

SOME PHILOSOPHES

♥ Immanuel Kant (1724-1804): argued that individuals should gain freedom by letting go of the traditional ideas of the past and begin asking questions about the nature of mankind.

♥ Voltaire (1694-1778): After traveling to England, the Frenchman, Voltaire, was inspired by the religious tolerance and freedom of expression the English enjoyed. Voltaire believed in the idea of individual happiness, and he thought the English model allowed individual happiness whereas the French government was too restrictive. His most famous works are Candide and Letters on England. Voltaire despised the oppression of the Catholic Church. Voltaire argued that no one philosophy was enough – the individual should follow their own ideas.

SOME PHILOSOPHES

♥ Montesquieu (1689-1755): wrote the Spirit of Laws –perhaps the most influential work of the Enlightenment. He believed that the right combination of laws would govern society effectively. He put forth ideas for government such as having a separation of powers and a system of checks and balances.

♥ Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778): argued that the happiness of the individual should not supersede what is best for society as a whole.

SOME PHILOSOPHES

♦ The Enlightenment thinkers promoted ideas of human rights, meritocracy, and equality – but there were a few members of society who did not benefit

♦ Slavery, while argued against by some, was also defended by some Enlightenment thinkers

♦ Women also did not really enjoy less misogynistic attitudes post Enlightenment

HYPOCRISY

Excerpt from Kant’s Racism

In addition to claiming that Africans are vain and stupid, Kant argued that they are only capable of trifling feelings, incapable of any form of education other than learning how to be a slave, and lack a “drive to activity” and “mental capacities to be self-motivated and successful.” Quoting Hume, Kant wrote that no Negros have ever shown talents or presented anything of praiseworthy quality in art or science.Kant discouraged interracial reproduction, discussed the best way to whip Moors, and claimed that blacks are “so talkative that they must be driven apart from each other with thrashings” (Very, 2012, 2).

 

KANT A RACIST

♣ The Enlightenment is important for understanding major political ideologies that arise in Europe in the Modern Era

♣ Classical Liberalism and democracy would arise from Enlightenment thinking as well as the philosophy on self-government

♣ Revolutions would result – The American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Haitian Revolution

♣ Marxists would come to criticize the Enlightenment for championing ideas that uplifted the “middle class” and oppressed others

WHAT IT INSPIRED

Very, Ryan. (2012). Kant’s racism. Academia.edu. Accessed from http://www.academia.edu/1802951/Kants_Racism