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Bright Ideas Of The Age Of Reason: Sparks That Changed Society

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Title: Bright Ideas of the Age of Reason: Sparks That Changed Society. Introduction: The Age of Reason, a big shift in thought in the 17th and 18th centuries, grew from the Renaissance and the big changes of the Science Revolution. It was a time when people, full of new learnings and free from old chains of not knowing, began to doubt old beliefs and take on the might of clear thought. In this bright age, wise folks all over Europe started a search for the truth, pushing for the rule of human smarts and the free will of folks from old ways and bosses. The main ideas of the Age of Reason - clear thought, being your own person, and making things better in society - truly changed how the West worked, setting off a fire of freedom and open minds …show more content…

Turning away from old fears and set beliefs, thinkers of the Age of Reason praised human skills for smart asking and deep thinking. In Thomas Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence," written in the wild times of the American fight for freedom, the line that "all men are created equal" shows the deep trust in the might of clear thought and the true worth of every person. In the same way, in Olaudah Equiano's "The Interesting Narrative," we see the story of a man moving from chains to freedom, led by the light of clear thought and knowing oneself. Equiano's story not only shows the cruel truths of being a slave, but also how learning and enlightenment can fight against being held down and help a person act on their …show more content…

The "Declaration of the Rights of Man," born from the thoughts of thinkers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, says strongly that these rights are built in and can't be taken away, no matter where you're from or what you believe. Also, in Simón Bolvar's "Letter from Jamaica," we hear the clear call for setting free people under others and making governments based on equality and brotherhood. Bolvar's dream for Latin America, shaped by ideas of the Age of Reason, pictures a world where people are connected beyond race and class, bringing in a time of freedom and moving forward for

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His ideas were used in writing the declaration by Thomas Jefferson. Thesis statement here: The ideals of __________ during the Age of Reason shaped the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence says that people should have equal rights simply because they are human. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their

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Reasoning had helped others look at the sky above and start looking for more things to discover based on the belief that the sun was the center of the universe and not what the church was wanting the people to believe. The last would be rational thinking, people had believed that the constellations (stars, or zodiac signs), were the reason for our thinking, walking, and regular body functions. One man had thought that what they were saying was untrue, and had decided to look into the research further and actually dissect human corpses to find out what we were really made of. He had found out that there was nothing in our body to actually do with the signs that were being said. So when people had questioned, looked into, and wanted to learn more, that was how the Renaissance had changed the perception of the world and everyone in

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The Age of Reason In Europe, during the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason, many philosophers gathered together to discuss their different but similar ideas to help shape the world we live in today. In the late 17th and 18th century, four enlightenment philosophers named John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Mary Wollstonecraft focused on the same main idea. They believed in individual rights and presented their arguments through religion, government, economics, and equality for women.

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Many great works have been published throughout history that have impacted us to this day in how literature is written and viewed. The Age of Reason specifically affects the American literary works, as well as many views we hold. Each work made during this period was used to help influence the colonies during this time period to break free from Britain and become an independent nation based on the belief of freedom. The first piece which is presented is Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” it was the first drafted document of the three presented in this piece and when the revolution era began they created pamphlets for the Middle class so a larger majority of Americans could join in and revolt against Britain.

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The Age of Reason The Age of Reason and modern day America changed our society completely. The people back then wanted to be free and have change to the United States. The thoughts back then used similar principles that we use today in our society. The principle of life back then are respect our is compassion are both similar.

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The reason the Enlightenment period is often referred to as the “Age of Reason” is due to society at this time being allowed to look further in to the depths of reality more open minded to understanding religion, science, philosophy and politics than previously. A few key philosopher’s during this time emphasized and assisted mankind to look deeply in to the previous imbalance with Church and State, as a result a movement was beginning which was removing the church from its primary control over society as a whole. The ideas the philosophers were emphasizing in regards to Nature and Reason were removing previous thoughts in regards to original sin looking at religion in a whole different view. A few key philosophers during this time helped

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The Age of Enlightenment The age of Enlightenment, also known as the age of reason is an intellectual movement that began in Europe in the 1650s, and then spread all over the world for about a century and half. The Enlightenment focuses on the capacity of human to think rationally. Many leaders and philosophers took part in this era and emphasized reason, and individualism rather than traditional lines of authority. In this essay, you will read about thinkers, philosophers and leaders that played a very important role during the age of enlightenment.

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At the end of the 17th century there is a distinct shift in the culture of Western Europe in regards to the manner in which people observe the universe around them. The people inspiring this all-encompassing movement are many individual philosophers. Each of these individuals focus their mental efforts in hopes of changing the societies in which they live. Many of them encourage their contemporaries to reexamine the lense through which they understand the world. The intellectuals involved in the Age of Enlightenment hoped that people would use reason and logic in order to explain the world around them instead of traditional superstitious and religious conventions (Kors).

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The Enlightenment gave people power to make the changes they wanted for independence and politics using intellect and reason, their natural right. The norm of a society that is modelled today became reason over

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During the 18th century many countries throughout Europe went through a period that would forever change the way they thought about society, politics, philosophy, science, and even religion - such period was better known as the Enlightenment or Age of Reason. After the Thirty Year’s War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, several German writers wrote frankly about the perishes of war, criticized the ideas of nationalism and warfare that led to such terrible times for the people. Among such authors were Hugo Grotius and John Comenius, who were of the first Enlightenment minds to go against tradition and propose better solutions. Enlightenment thinkers in Britain, in France and throughout Europe questioned traditional authority and embraced the notion that humanity could be improved through rational change. The Enlightenment produced numerous books, essays, inventions, scientific discoveries, laws, wars and revolutions.

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The Age of Reason followed a time of intense civil conflict in Europe. An emerging interest in human reason posed a threat to the church, which by now favored order, conservatism, and stability. As one author puts it, "Movements suspected of enthusiasm, such as Puritanism, Quietism, and Janesism, fell into disrepute, and the authority exercised by the state in religious affairs became more pronounced. It was an age dominated by Reason, which, until it provoked a reaction in such movements as Pietism and Evangelism, posed a formidable challenge to Christianity. Out of the Age of Reason came renewed interests in art, architecture, and music.

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What started as a response to a cry for reclamation of revealed scripture now heard voices that denied the existence of revelation. Although this Age of Reason is bracketed from 1648 to 1789, its effect has continued to the present day. Naturally, as we move from one “age” to another, the boundaries are not as well defined as the terminology suggests. Reliance on human reason was not new. Neither did everyone adopt a rationalistic approach to religion.

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I The Age of Enlightenment also known as the Age of Reason is a name given to the period of Western Civilisation that followed the Renaissance. The Enlightenment occurred roughly from mid of 17th Century upto the end of 18th century. In the words of M. H. Abrams, “The name Enlightenment applied to an intellectual movement and cultural ambience which developed in

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The Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, first emerged in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and subsequently shaped the contemporary world of science, technology and civil liberties [citation]. Two leading figures of this period were German philosophers Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-81). The Enlightenment promoted the universal standard of Pure Reason above all else, Kant however took issue with the concept of ‘universal’ only translating as meaning ‘European’ and ‘pure’ as meaning never having met or studied anything else. Lessing, also a great figure of the Enlightenment who at the time would have known nothing of our postmodern relative truth predicaments, found in truth a degree of social

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The Age of Enlightenment, which is also known as the Age of Reason, had sparked many new ideas for individuals all across Europe, during the seventeenth century. The Enlightenment Movement, which would eventually make its way towards the West, had brought forth a new way of thinking for all and went against traditional ways and order. With the magnificent rise of scientific and intellectual progress, many believed that this would be a time in which humanity could flourish and the fate of their future lied within their hands. Although these ideas provided a sense of self-confidence and desire for improvement within individuals, it did not last long until the occurrence of dreadful World War I. The time period following this war would leave those who once

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