The Enlightenment or Age of
Reason: 1700s / Eighteenth
Century –
The
Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, is the
name given to the period in Europe and America during the 1700s when mankind
was emerging from centuries of ignorance into a new age enlightened by reason,
science, and respect for humanity. People of the Enlightenment were
convinced that human reason could (1) discover the natural laws of the
universe and (2) determine the natural rights of mankind; (3) thereby
unending progress in knowledge, technical achievement, and moral values
would be realized.[2]
This new
way of thinking led to the development of a new religious thought known as (4) Deism.
Deists believed in God as a great inventor or architect who had created the
universe then allowed it to function like a machine or clock without divine
intervention. Although Deists believed in a hereafter, they believed human
achievement and happiness should be the focus of this life rather than the life
to come.
Benevolence
toward less fortunate people, (5) humanitarianism, resulted. Difficult though it
is for us to realize, the idea that people who are more fortunate should assist
those who are less fortunate was, in fact, a new concept during the
Enlightenment. Prior to this, religious beliefs perceived assistance to the
unfortunate as interference with God because people thought if someone were
unfortunate, it was God's will and was punishment for wrongdoing.
Major Changes in
Politically, wars during the 1700s were most often
fought within countries over secession to a throne rather than between
countries. Monarchies still often ruled during the 1700s, but with less
security than in earlier times. The English executed their king in 1642,
Economically, new trade between countries generated new
wealth. The newly wealthy tradesman and merchant class demanded a share of the
social and political power formally held only by the nobility. As a result of
the political and economic changes during the eighteenth century, there were
major social changes as well. The former rigid class system based on
inherited positions of nobility and wealth became far less secure.
There
were also major religious changes during the 1700s. There was a
significant decline in church power and prestige, which resulted primarily from
people’s no longer believing in God’s daily involvement in their human affairs.
Prior to the Enlightenment, before the discovery of natural laws, people had
believed that every event that occurred, no matter how major or minor, was a
direct result of God’s intervention. Once scientists discovered that natural
laws caused these occurrences, mankind feared God less, and as a result,
religious obligations were no longer the primary concern of many people.
Rather
than focusing on God and the church, people of the Enlightenment focused on
man. Alexander Pope, a famous English poet, wrote a rhyming couplet (two
consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme) that describes well the attitude of
the time: “Know then thyself; presume not God to scan. / The proper study of
mankind is man.”
The
eighteenth century recognized the interdependence of men on each other. Rather
than the agricultural society prevalent during the previous feudal period, the
1700s saw the development of cosmopolitan society. People lived in clusters and
depended upon each other rather than living alone and being independent of one
another. The importance of cooperation and mutual respect became obvious.
Eighteenth Century vs.
Twenty-First Century
There
are two particularly interesting and thought-provoking basic differences
between the 18th century and the 21st century. First, a feeling of obligation to
society was prevalent then. People of the Enlightenment believed that shared
beliefs were more important than personal opinion. Public life mattered more
than one’s private life. A second important area of contrast between the 18th
and 21st centuries is manners or decorum. People of the Enlightenment believed
that a well defined code of manners and behavior was necessary to allow men to
live in harmonious groups. Manners or decorum consisted of agreed upon behavior
appropriate for specific situations; we might refer to such practices as social
etiquette. In the 1700s, people believed commitment to decorum helped preserve
society’s important moral standards.
Characteristics of
Literature during the 1700s/18th Century
Most
literature was nonfiction, which means it was based on fact
rather than being made up by the author's imagination. The literature of
this period was realistic. Its aims were to instruct, to enlighten, and to make
people think. These people believed reason shows life as it is; whereas, the imagination
shows life as people wish it were or fear it may be. The people of the
Enlightenment revered the power of the mind to reason and to determine
realities. They deprecated passions and emotions. They saw reason as the ruling
principle of life and the key to progress and perfection. This was an
optimistic, self-confident period of time in
&
Overview:
The
basic ideas of the Enlightenment are roughly the same as the basic ideas of
humanism…[3]
a)
There
is a stable, coherent, knowable self. This self is conscious, rational,
autonomous, and universal—no physical conditions or differences substantially
affect how this self operates.
b)
This
self knows itself and the world through reason, or rationality, posited as the
highest form of mental functioning, and the only objective form.
c)
The
mode of knowing produced by the objective rational self is “science,” which can
provide universal truths about
the world, regardless of the individual status of the knower.
d)
The
knowledge produced by science is “truth,” and is eternal.
e)
The
knowledge/truth produced by science (by the rational objective knowing self)
will always lead toward progress and perfection. All human institutions and
practices can be analyzed by science (reason/objectivity) and improved.
f)
Reason
is the ultimate judge of what is true, and therefore of what is right, and what
is good (what is legal and what is ethical). Freedom consists of obedience to
the laws that conform to the knowledge discovered by reason.
g)
In a
world governed by reason, the true will always be the same as the good and the
right (and the beautiful); there can be no conflict between what is true and
what is right (etc.).
h)
Science
thus stands as the paradigm for any and all socially useful forms of knowledge.
Science is neutral and objective; scientists, those who produce scientific
knowledge through their unbiased rational capacities, must be free to follow
the laws of reason, and not be motivated by other concerns (such as money or
power).
[1] This
information comes directly from Beverly McClure’s website, Associate Professor
of Languages and Literature @ Southwest
[2] The main stimulus for the Enlightenment was the scientific discoveries of natural laws. For example, Galileo recognized the movement of planets, moons, and stars, and Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity.
[3] This
information is cited directly from Dr. Mary Klages’s
website, English Dept.,