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Enlightenment Period: The Enlightenment Period

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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. One such prominent figure in the Enlightenment Period was a French philosopher / artist / writer called Denis Diderot whose works included The Encyclopedia, the novels La Religiusse, Le Neveaux De Rameau etc. Diderot gained his reputations during his period through various publications …show more content…

He wrote, “we must … overturn the barriers that reason never erected (Diderot 158).” Denis stood up against the monarch who preached and ruled over people by saying that everything happened under God’s will. In one of his articles, “Political Authority”, he stated that “No man has received from Nature the right of commanding others. Liberty is a present from Heaven (Diderot 77).” He frequently tried to show reason through his articles. In one such article called, ‘To Adore, he does not repudiate that God does not exist but he comments that there are reasons for everything that we do. He wrote, ‘the manner of adoring the true God ought never to deviate from reason…He has desired it to be used even in the judgment of what is suitable to do or not to do in respect to Him.’ (Diderot 144). Denis basically wanted to convey the message in his articles that everything should have reason to be believed rationally. Even in the case of God, everyone has a choice either to believe or not to believe in God. They shouldn’t be intimidated by anything especially religious beliefs. Even if one goes against the wishes of the authority they should not be imprisoned or penalized for

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