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During The Enlightenment Dbq

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European politics, philosophy, and science were radically changed during the 17th and 18th centuries during a period called the Enlightenment. Enlightenment thinkers throughout Europe questioned cultural norms and embraced the notion that humanity could be improved through rational change. Science had been mostly a male field of study during this age. It was extremely rare for women to enter this field, but during the Enlightenment, the idea that the minds of women can equal that of men became more popular. Many people believed that women did not have the intelligence to be involved in science, while some others believed that even if women could be held on the same intellectual level as men, it was socially unacceptable; on the other hand, …show more content…

One woman who received recognition for her work in science was Elisabetha Hevelius (Doc 4). It can be seen that they are working on the sextant together. Johannes Hevelius must have had an accepting attitude towards women because he let his wife help him. Another woman who was able to continue her work in science was Maria Sibylla Merian, a German entomologist (Doc 5). She has completely left society to give all her focus to research and she is allowed to do so. Gottfried Kirch, a German astronomer, described the level of intelligence his wife, Maria Winkelmann possessed (Doc 6). He insinuated that women might be more observant than men when she observes something he does not. Another man, Gottfriend Leibniz, a German mathematician and philosopher, described that women who are educated are often more intelligent than men (Doc 7). He says how women are better at making decisions due to how conscious they are. A newspaper article that recognized women’s credibility in science wrote an article on Dorothea Scholzer the first woman to receive a Ph. D. (Doc 13). The article praises Schlozer as being a woman of worlds, science and society. This is extremely important because many people thought women were not able to be both a good woman and scientist. The author is even against educated women, but he concedes to the fact Scholzer is an exceptional women and

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