Age of Enlightenment

Examples of Age of Enlightenment in the following topics:

• Romanticism

  • Romanticism, fueled by the French Revolution, was a reaction to the scientific rationalism and classicism of the Age of Enlightenment.
  • Though influenced by other artistic and intellectual movements, the ideologies and events of the French Revolution created the primary context from which both Romanticism and the Counter-Enlightenment emerged.
  • Upholding the ideals of the Revolution, Romanticism was a revolt against the aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and also a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature.
  • Romanticism was also inspired by the German Sturm und Drang movement (Storm and Stress), which prized intuition and emotion over Enlightenment rationalism.
  • Extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism imposed by the Enlightenment and associated aesthetic movements.

• Enlightenment Ideals

  • 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.
  • Furthermore, the sciences and academic disciplines (including social sciences and the humanities) as we know them today, based on empirical methods, also go back to the Age of Enlightenment.
  • There is little consensus on the precise beginning of the Age of Enlightenment, with conventional starting points of the beginning of the 18th century (1701) or the middle of the 17th century (1650).
  • The cultural exchange during the Age of Enlightenment ran in both directions across the Atlantic.
  • The prime example of reference works that systematized scientific knowledge in the Age of Enlightenment were universal encyclopedias rather than technical dictionaries.

• Enlightened Despotism

  • Enlightened despots, inspired by the ideals of the Age of Enlightenment, held that royal power emanated not from divine right but from a social contract whereby a despot was entrusted with the power to govern in lieu of any other governments.
  • Although major thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment are credited for the development of government theories that were critical to the creation and evolution of the modern civil-society-driven democratic state, among the first ideas resulting from the political ideals of the Enlightenment was enlightened despotism (or enlightened absolutism).
  • The difference between a despot and an enlightened despot is based on a broad analysis of the degree to which they embraced the Age of Enlightenment.
  • However, historians debate the actual implementation of enlightened despotism.
  • They distinguish between the "enlightenment" of the ruler personally versus that of his or her regime.

• The Spread of Liberal Democracy

  • According to the principles of liberal democracy, elections should be free and fair, with the presence of multiple and distinct political parties.
  • Liberal democracy traces its origins—and its name—to the European 18th century, also known as the Age of Enlightenment.
  • These conventional views were first challenged by a relatively small group of Enlightenment intellectuals who believed that human affairs should be guided by reason and principles of liberty and equality.
  • Near the end of the 18th century, these ideas inspired the American Revolution and the French Revolution, the pair of which gave birth to the ideology of liberalism and instituted forms of government that attempted to apply the principles of Enlightenment philosophy in practice.
  • Defend the notion of liberal democracy using examples from its enlightenment origins

• Scientific Exploration

  • Science, based on empiricism and rational thought and embedded with the Enlightenment ideal of advancement and progress, came to play a leading role in Enlightenment discourse and thought.
  • While the Enlightenment cannot be pigeonholed into a specific doctrine or set of dogmas, science came to play a leading role in Enlightenment discourse and thought.
  • Broadly speaking, Enlightenment science greatly valued empiricism and rational thought and was embedded with the Enlightenment ideal of advancement and progress.
  • However, as with most Enlightenment views, the benefits of science were not seen universally.
  • The Age of Enlightenment was also when the first scientific and literary journals were established.

• Introduction to the Enlightenment

  • The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Enlightenment, was a philosophical movement which dominated the world of ideas in Europe in the 18th century.
  • There were two distinct lines of Enlightenment thought: the radical enlightenment, inspired by the philosophy of Spinoza, advocating democracy, individual liberty, freedom of expression, and eradication of religious authority.
  • While the Enlightenment cannot be pigeonholed into a specific doctrine or set of dogmas, science came to play a leading role in Enlightenment discourse and thought.
  • Broadly speaking, Enlightenment science greatly valued empiricism and rational thought and was embedded with the Enlightenment ideal of advancement and progress.
  • As with most Enlightenment views, the benefits of science were not seen universally.

• The American Enlightenment

  • The American Enlightenment was an era of prolific discourse in which Anglo-American intellectuals studied human nature, society, and religion.
  • Influenced by the scientific revolution of the 17th century, key Enlightenment thinkers applied scientific reasoning to studies of human nature, society, and religion.
  • The most articulate exponent was Thomas Paine, whose The Age of Reason was written in France in the early 1790s and reached America soon thereafter.
  • The culmination of these enlightenment ideas occurred with Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, in which he declared:
  • Summarize the central commitments of the Enlightenment, particularly as it appeared in the colonies

• The Enlightenment

  • Neoclassicism was the dominant artistic style of the Enlightenment period and drew inspiration from the classical art and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome.
  • The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a movement that began during the 18th century in Europe and the American colonies.
  • Started by the preeminent philosophers of the day, the Enlightenment era lasted from about 1650 to 1800, promoting science, reason and intellectual exchange.
  • The Enlightenment has long been hailed as the foundation of modern Western political and intellectual culture.
  • The Enlightenment encouraged criticism of the corruption of Louis XVI and the aristocracy in France, leading to the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789.

• Philosophy and Science

  • The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a movement that began during the 18th century in Europe and the American colonies.
  • The Enlightenment has long been hailed as the foundation of modern Western political and intellectual culture.
  • France was an important centre of the Enlightenment.
  • Important Enlightenment philosophers such as Kant, Diderot and Voltaire took part in the Republic of Letters.
  • The Encyclopedie held contributions from hundreds of leading philosophers and intellectuals and was one of the most renowned publications of the Enlightenment era.

• The Political Revolution

  • The American Enlightenment promoted ideas of individual liberty, republican government, and religious toleration.
  • The most important leaders of the American Enlightenment include Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson .
  • Both the Moderate Enlightenment and a Radical or Revolutionary Enlightenment were reactions against the authoritarianism, irrationality, and obscurantism of the established churches.
  • The most articulate exponent was Thomas Paine, whose The Age of Reason was written in France in the early 1790s and soon reached America.
  • No brief summary can do justice to the diversity of enlightened thought in 18th-century Europe.