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The Enlightenment: Massive Influence On Western Civilization

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The Enlightenment was a period during the eighteenth century that brought new attitudes toward reform, faith, and reason in the governments of Europe. The Enlightenment had a massive effect on the Western Civilization. The Enlightenment brought new ideas about government that inspired the Founding Fathers and the French revolutionaries. The Enlightenment also gave birth to the ideas of free trade and it also shifted economic reliance from agriculture to industrial products. This transformation led to beginning of the globalization of Europe. The Enlightenment also started the religious idea of Deism, which states both religion and reason could be combined to give rise to new
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The Era of Enlightenment was a cultural movement in Europe that favored reason in place of belief. It challenged the accepted views of the time which, in turn, endangered the power of absolute rulers and their system of government. This era influenced a majority of the European population, however, the monarchs of the time did not exemplify those same ideals. Catherine II of Russia’s views on serfs and peasants are a great example of a ruler defying the enlightenment movement. In her “Decree on Serfs” she states that “serfs and peasants...owe their landlords proper submission and absolute obedience in all matters” , essentially saying that serfs of the time should be completely obedient to their masters (Doc. 6).

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The Enlightenment allowed people to see that they had certain rights that they were given at birth, and that no one, not even the monarchy, could take these rights away. These basic rights are the foundations of most standing constitutions to date. A majority of the revolutions in the late 1700s were sparked because of the desire to reformat the constitution and to bring more power to the people. When the people in the lower tiers of the agricultural pyramid began to realize that they had a massive size advantage and a huge impact on society the path to start revolutions was practically paved.

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During the 17th-18th century, a movement referred to as The Enlightenment arose in the efforts by philosophers to reassemble European politics, beliefs, science, and communications. The purpose was to solve problems in the world with reason. An example of philosophers can be seen in Baron de Montesquieu’s view on wanting a separation of powers; Adam Smith’s thought of laissez-faire where the government allows business to operate with little or no government interference; and John Locke’s idea that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and property. John Locke influenced the foundation for people believing in natural rights. This stimulated an outbreak of revolutions such as The Revolutionary War, French Revolution, and The Saint Domingo

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The Age of Enlightenment was a huge change for the people of Europe. It occurred between the late 1600s and 1700s, and changed the way people thought. Monarchs were encouraged to lead with progressive intentions and to enforce the basic human rights of all of their people. to become more equal with their people. These monarchs were called Enlightened Despots.

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Enlightenment in the 1700s was a pivotal event in history that lead to the transformation of thought processes. Many people contend that the Age of Enlightenment led to the betterment of society as it went from being permissive of superstitions, a God that is present, and an unquestionable rule to people who wanted to question, think, and speak for themselves. On the other hand, others profess that the Age of Enlightenment led to an unintentional dismissal of monotheism, the questioning of authority, and a rebellious nature of society. So, how influential were the ideas of the Enlightenment? Although many people believe that advocating for women's rights has been a relatively new thing, a women by the name of, Mary Wollencraft, championed

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Enlightenment The time of intellectual change and societal improvement. The late 17th century and 18th century was a time of enlightenment in Europe caused by philosophers. During the age of reason what were the great thinkers ideas? The philosophes, great thinkers of their time, were the people who bought this enlightenment, a time of change due to new ways of thinking.

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Of all the actions, writings, empires, rulers, and wars; I believe the age of enlightenment changed the world the most. Enlightenment, meaning to illuminate or inform. The age of European Enlightenment brought about some of the biggest changes the world would ever see. Its concepts would illuminate, transform, and inspire people across the planet. From ending the idea of “divine right” to changing the way in which people viewed rights, no other movement would have such a long and dramatic effect on the world.

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THE DIDEROT EFFECT 1706032059 MEGHA RANGARAJ The Enlightenment period was simply known as the “age of reasons”. Many thinkers / philosophers / artist / writers etc. from different places in France, Britain and other parts of Europe argued with the authorities that “humanity could be improved through rational change”. The enlightenment period brought out or rather gave rise to various books, essays, inventions, scientific discoveries, laws, wars and revolutions.

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During the Enlightenment there was a growing emphasis on the power of reason and rationality. Many Enlightenment thinkers believed that the key to progress and improvement lay in the ability of individuals to use their reason to solve problems and make decisions. This led to a renewed interest in science, as well as a focus on education and the spread of knowledge. Many enlightenment thinkers also questioned traditional authority structures, such as the power of the church and the monarchy, and advocated for more democratic and egalitarian forms of government. These ideas helped pave the way for the American and French Revolutions, and they continue to shape our understanding of politics and society today.

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In the reading of the Enlightenment is characterized as "a philosophical development of the eighteenth century, described by confidence in the force of human reason and by advancements in political, religious, and instructive regulation." The Enlightenment was empowered by the Scientific Revolution, which had started as right on time as 1500. This erudite person, philosophical, social, and social development spread through England, France, Germany, and different parts of Europe amid the 1700s. I will examine the Enlightenment and portray the effect it had on social orders of the eighteenth century. Schmidt in his article depict what Enlightenment was by Kant's definition, which is a man's tutelage which is the failure to make utilization of one's understanding without the course or assistance from another.

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France became a part of a huge advancement in techonology and knowledge in the age of the Enlightenment. Throughout Europe, new ideas were being spread and the Church was fading from power. People called philosophes were starting to become popular with their ideas that were proved by reasoning and facts, other than ideas by the Church that were proved by faith. Some of these important philosophes were people like John Locke, Hobbes, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau. John Locke was a philosophe who started the ideas of the Enlightenment.

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Enlightenment stole great power to determine the government of many areas out of the hands of the king and handed it over to the hands of the people.

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The world today is far more free than it was in the past. This is largely due to the influence of the enlightenment philosophers whose ideas are rather common in society today. However, the world is in a few ways, less free than it was. This can also be attributed to the philosophers of the enlightenment period.

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Political, Scientific, and Religious Origins Beginning as a rebellious movement, the Enlightenment was synonymous to revolt and heresy. Individuals who identified with the ideas of this intellectual eruption were quickly banished or worse, martyred for their controversial beliefs. Therefore, systematic corruption, rigid doctrine, and social unrest became the catalyst to the Enlightenment. Still, without the Enlightenment, development of technology and information would not be possible in modern civilization. This significant historical evident paved way for not solely innovative philosophies, but the radical thought that an individual has the ability to think for themselves.

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