The Enlightenment Research Paper

In the 17th and 18th centuries, a movement known as the Enlightenment was taking place. The Enlightenment featured the rise of a variety of philosophies with a new focus on the importance of humans in the world. The Enlightenment philosophy placed a high value on the individual and their ability to use rationality and reason to make progress in societies. One supporter of these beliefs was founding father Benjamin Franklin. However, multiple philosophies of conflicting beliefs also arose. Writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote stories that criticized the standard Enlightenment philosophy. “Sonnet-To Science” (1829), “The Purloined Letter” (1845), and “The Birthmark” (1843) all critique science’s dismissal and treatment

In the story, a detective solves the mystery that the police fail to by locating a stolen letter. The police, led by Mr. G., use a methodical way of searching, using rationality to check typical hiding places. Dupin thinks outside of the box by thinking not of the rational thing to do, but by thinking of what the thief himself would do, and thus outsmarts the police and the thief. A parallel is drawn between Mr. G., who says “. . . But then he’s a poet, which I take to be only one move from a fool.” ( 1017) and Dupin, who while explaining how his opponent functioned, said that “As a poet and a mathematician, [the thief] would reason well.” (1022). This reflects how Mr. G., in his dismissal of poets and the creative way of thinking, failed to succeed. Being a poet in addition to a mathematician gave the thief an advantage over simple rational thinkers like Mr.

Alymer, as stated in the text, is the mental side of man, an intellectual. His wife can be seen as nature itself. The scientist will not let nature lie, and in trying to fix it, ruins it, raising a poignant point about messing with something that doesn’t need to be fixed. This tale also illustrates a flaw in embracing only science. Alymer is a shut-in, with no human contact outside of his household. His only concerns are that of his obsession with perfection. He represents an extreme of the Enlightenment scientist, caring only for his ideas of perfection with no regard for appreciating the natural world. He instead critically analyzes something that is there for beauty, not to be