‌Enlightenment‌‌ ‌

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❖ Enlightenment:‌ ‌
➢ Catholicism‌‌had‌‌been‌‌the‌‌main‌‌feature‌‌of‌‌the‌‌intellectual‌‌life‌‌of‌‌
western‌‌Europe‌‌in‌‌the‌‌16th‌‌and‌‌early‌‌17th‌‌centuries.‌‌In‌‌the‌‌later‌‌
17th‌‌century,‌‌however,‌‌‌intellectual‌‌interests‌‌gradually‌‌shifted‌‌
from‌‌super-natural‌‌religion‌‌to‌‌natural‌‌science‌‌and‌‌it‌‌is‌‌
commonly‌‌called‌‌the‌‌Enlightenment.‌‌‌This‌‌dominated‌‌the‌‌
18th‌‌century‌‌and‌‌prepared‌‌the‌‌way‌‌for‌‌a‌‌revolutionary‌‌era‌‌in‌‌
politics‌‌and‌‌society.‌ ‌Hence,‌E
‌ nlightenment‌‌was‌‌an‌‌
intellectual‌‌movement‌‌that‌‌changed‌‌the‌‌thinking‌‌of‌‌
individuals.‌‌ ‌
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❖ Background‌‌of‌‌Enlightenment:‌ ‌
➢ The‌‌roots‌‌of‌‌the‌‌Enlightenment‌‌can‌‌be‌‌found‌‌in‌‌:‌ ‌
■ The‌h ‌ umanism‌‌of‌‌the‌‌Renaissance‌,‌‌with‌‌its‌‌emphasis‌‌
on‌‌the‌‌study‌‌of‌‌classical‌‌literature.‌ ‌
■ ‌The‌‌Protestant‌‌Reformation‌‌‌also‌‌broke‌‌traditional‌‌
religious‌‌thinking.‌‌ ‌
■ Perhaps‌‌the‌‌most‌‌important‌‌sources‌‌of‌‌what‌‌became‌‌the‌‌
Enlightenment‌‌were‌‌the‌‌complementary‌‌rational‌‌and‌‌
empirical‌‌methods‌‌of‌‌discovering‌‌the‌‌truth‌‌that‌‌was‌‌
introduced‌‌by‌‌the‌s ‌ cientific‌‌revolution‌.‌‌ ‌
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❖ Concepts‌‌of‌‌Enlightenment:‌ ‌
➢ The‌‌Enlightenment‌‌had‌‌four‌‌noteworthy‌‌concepts.‌‌They‌‌were:‌ ‌
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■ A.‌‌Naturalism:‌‌‌Naturalism,‌‌commonly‌‌known‌‌as‌‌
materialism,‌‌is‌‌a‌‌philosophical‌‌paradigm‌‌whereby‌‌
everything‌‌can‌‌be‌‌explained‌‌in‌‌terms‌‌of‌‌natural‌‌
causes.‌‌ ‌
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 ■ B.‌‌Rationalism:‌‌‌Rationalism‌‌is‌‌the‌‌view‌‌that‌‌regards‌‌
reason‌‌as‌‌the‌‌chief‌‌source‌‌and‌‌test‌‌of‌‌knowledge.‌‌ ‌
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■ C.‌‌Optimistic‌‌Progress‌:‌‌A‌‌hopeful‌‌belief‌‌in‌‌the‌s
‌ teady‌‌ ‌
betterment‌‌and‌‌ultimate‌‌perfecting‌‌of‌‌mankind,‌‌
through‌‌increasing‌‌use‌‌of‌‌reason‌‌and‌‌broadening‌‌
knowledge‌‌of‌‌natural‌‌law.‌ ‌
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■ D.‌‌Humanitarianism:‌‌‌A‌‌tender‌‌regard‌‌for‌‌the‌‌‌natural‌‌
rights‌‌of‌‌the‌‌individual‌‌and‌‌a‌‌preference‌‌for‌‌social‌‌
blessings‌‌that‌‌enlightenment‌‌would‌‌bestow.‌ ‌ ‌
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❖ Some‌‌pioneers‌‌of‌‌the‌‌Age‌‌of‌‌Enlightenment‌‌:‌ ‌
➢ Isaac‌‌Newton:‌I‌saac‌‌Newton‌‌was‌‌born‌‌in‌‌the‌‌year‌‌in‌‌which‌‌
Galileo‌‌died‌‌(‌‌1642‌‌).‌‌He‌‌read‌‌at‌‌Cambridge‌‌University.‌‌He‌‌was‌‌
known‌‌as‌‌Sir‌‌Isaac‌‌Newton.‌H ‌ is‌‌famous‌‌book‌‌was‌‌Principia.‌‌
He‌‌described‌‌the‌‌law‌‌of‌‌gravitation.‌‌He‌‌is‌‌called‌‌the‌‌father‌‌
of‌‌physics.‌ ‌
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➢ Adam‌‌Smith:‌‌‌Adam‌‌Smith‌‌was‌‌born‌‌in‌‌1723.‌‌He‌‌is‌‌called‌‌the‌‌
father‌‌of‌‌Economics.‌T ‌ he‌‌name‌‌of‌‌his‌‌book‌‌is‌‌Wealth‌‌of‌‌
Nations.‌H ‌ e‌‌was‌‌a‌‌major‌‌proponent‌‌of‌‌Laissez-Faire‌‌economic‌‌
policies.‌ ‌
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➢ Immanuel‌‌Kant:‌I‌mmanuel‌‌Kant‌‌was‌‌one‌‌of‌‌the‌‌foremost‌‌
thinkers‌‌of‌‌Enlightenment.‌‌His‌‌comprehensive‌‌and‌‌systematic‌‌
work‌‌in‌‌epistemology(the‌‌theory‌‌of‌‌knowledge),‌‌ethics,‌‌and‌‌
aesthetics‌‌greatly‌‌influenced‌‌all‌‌subsequent‌‌philosophy,‌‌
especially‌‌the‌‌various‌‌school‌‌of‌‌Kantianism‌‌and‌‌idealism.‌ ‌
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 ❖ Result‌‌of‌‌Enlightenment‌ ‌
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➢ Industrial‌‌Revolution:‌ ‌
■ The‌‌Industrial‌‌Revolution‌‌was‌‌a‌‌global‌‌movement‌‌in‌‌the‌‌
early‌‌19th‌‌century‌‌and‌‌involved‌‌the‌t‌ ransition‌‌to‌‌the‌‌
mechanization‌‌of‌‌the‌‌then-hand‌‌production‌‌methods.‌ ‌
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➢ French‌‌Revolution:‌ ‌
■ The‌‌French‌‌Revolution‌‌was‌‌a‌‌period‌‌of‌‌major‌‌social‌‌
upheaval‌‌that‌‌began‌‌in‌‌1789‌‌and‌‌ended‌‌in‌‌1799‌.‌‌It‌‌
sought‌‌to‌‌completely‌‌change‌‌the‌‌relationship‌‌
between‌‌the‌‌rulers‌‌and‌‌those‌‌they‌‌governed‌‌and‌‌to‌‌
redefine‌‌the‌‌nature‌‌of‌‌political‌‌power.‌ ‌
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❖ Enlightened‌‌Despots:‌ ‌
➢ Enlightened‌‌despotism,‌‌also‌‌called‌‌benevolent‌‌despotism,‌‌was‌‌
a‌‌form‌‌of‌‌government‌i‌n‌‌the‌‌18th‌‌century‌i‌n‌‌which‌‌absolute‌‌
monarchs‌‌pursued‌‌legal,‌‌social,‌‌and‌‌educational‌‌reforms‌‌
inspired‌‌by‌‌the‌‌Enlightenment.‌‌ ‌
■ Among‌‌the‌‌most‌‌prominent‌‌enlightened‌‌despots‌‌were‌‌
Frederick‌‌II‌‌(the‌‌Great),‌‌Peter‌‌I‌‌(the‌‌Great),‌‌Catherine‌‌II‌‌
(the‌‌Great),‌‌Maria‌‌Theresa,‌‌Joseph‌‌II,‌‌and‌‌Leopold‌‌II.‌‌ ‌