Enlightenment “is the period in the history of western thought and culture, stretching roughly from the mid-decades of the seventeenth century through the eighteenth century, characterized by dramatic revolutions in science, philosophy, society and politics” (William). To truly understand enlightenment, we must go back and look at the era as a whole. What were the primary zeitgeist of an enlightened society? Well, there are many, but the important ones would have to be the great fire that happened in London. Another would be inclusion of science in everyday life thanks to a scientist known as Isaac Newton. Lastly, an important book that solidified enlightened beliefs for centuries to come that goes by the name of The encyclopedia by Denis Diderot. …show more content…
Newton and his predecessors- Kepler and Galileo’s – findings became widely popular after the publication of his Mathematical principles of natural philosophies. Newton described the world in a scientific way, debunking spiritual or superstitious beliefs. His explanations of gravity and his laws of physics lead to many more experiences and opened up room for reason. This helped influenced the enlightened society because it took power away from the church. Newton’s publications led to the creation of the Academia Des Sciences in France. His findings were so popular that the law of physics became a popular form of entertainment. In a country that was dominated by the church and that condemned scientist for bringing forth such evidence it is extremely important to note the impact that newton and his fellow scientist had on the society as a whole. Along with Newton another important figure was John Locke. Locke believed in enlightened ideals. He repudiated Hobbes’s social contract, giving up sovereignty over oneself and bestowing it to a ruler, arguing that people are capable of governing themselves. John Locke believed in individualism and Tabula Rosa, which states that people are born as blank slates and our environment over time fills the slate. He said that people are inherently good and that were all born free, equal, and independent. These thoughts led to defining enlightened ideals and his beliefs helped pushed enlightened society in the right