THE AGE OF REASON

A golden age
With the name “golden age” or “Augustan period” we remember the 18th century when in
England new political and cultural ideas spread and the arts flourished. It was possible only
thanks to the political stability of the state. The philosophers of this period opposed medieval
superstition promoting rationality, politeness of child and moderation.

Civility and moderation

In this period civility and fashion were very important in fact the figure of the gentleman
developed.
The people searched for their individual happiness and pleasure…this idea was named “art of
pleasing”.

The role of women

Unlike the other European women, the English women had more roles in the society: they liberally
went theaters or coffe houses and took part in cultural debates. Some women were also reader
and writers of novels not of heroes argument but based on ordinary situation. Most of this novels
were epistolary so the events were related by letters. As consequence, the books spread more
and their price reduced.

A new view of the natural world

In the 18th century the man developed a new view of the world, especially of the nature that
surrounded himself. For the first time, the Calvinism was abolished because it supposed that all
what happen was wanted by God. Then, Enlightened thinkers focused on green landscape, which
become a new symbol of England and spread in all Europe as a “English garden”. These
landscape reflected the enlightened value of freedom.

THE ENLIGHTENMENT
The enlightenment was an intellectual movement which spread in Europe between the 17th and
the 18th century. Enlightened thinkers rejected ignorance and superstition and, with the light of
the reason, cut down the medieval obscurantism. The philosophers revised traditional doctrines
and the education had a fundamental role. There was also changes in political and scientific ideas
thanks to John Locke and Isaac Newton.
The state of nature was a new ideal that we associate at the philosophers of this period who
thought the original state of nature was so rational, there were a right balance among all men and
the laws were have imposed by mother nature.

ISAAC NEWTON
The “natural philosophy” was a current of thought that developed at the end of the 17th century. It
was based on the experimental method invented by Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler. It
proceeded from the particular to the universal: first the event was observed, then the hypotheses
were done and tested with experiments. If the hypotheses were verified, would make a new
theory of the phenomena analyzed. Thanks to this method, Isaac Newton demonstrated the laws
of gravitation and motion of the planets.

JOHN LOCKE
Empiricism
“Essay Concerning Human Understanding”
The philosopher John Locke thought that the human knowledge was the consequence of the
experiences not like Cartesio’s doctrine of innatism. His empirical idea could be compared with a
tabula rasa in which there isn’t any knowledge. Only with intuition, perception of senses and
experiences our tabula rasa can be written.

Locke’s political philosophy

“Two Treatises of Government” is a political writing of John Lock in which the philosopher
explained that everyone have some natural rights (as right to liberty, to life and property) which
aren’t connected with laws of a state. He thought all people are free and, with a “social contract”,
could live a common and equal life.
THE JOURNALISM
In the 18th century, the period named “golden age”, the middle class had a more important role in
the society but many merchants, small landowners and members of gentry were jet illiterate.
Fortunately, in this period, the journalism spread in England and in the other parts of Europe.
The newspapers had the intention to inform and educate readers. The audience to whom the
newspapers referred is public of coffee houses. The people went here to debate about social,
political and cultural argument. The first periodical was published in London jet in the 17th century
and was named “A current of general news”. Then, in 18yh century journalism concerned more
political and about happiness and individual freedom. It became a free profession, also English
women