The Main Objectives of the Age of Enlightenment
Education, Human Rights, and the Struggle Against the Authorities
Mar 29, 2009
One of the principal objectives of the Age of Enlightenment was to rebel against the authorities. The philosophers of the enlightenment were skeptical towards given or inherited truths and claimed that the individual using reason and logic ought to actively search for answers instead of blindly accepting and embracing what the authorities, the government, in this case, the King, Nobility and the Church, deemed or presented as the truth.
Differences Between the French and the English Enlightenment
England then was known to be more liberal in their social, political and philosophical ideas than most of the other countries in Europe, including France.
The English philosophers, such as Locke, Hume, Mill and many others, based most of their philosophy and ideas on "common sense," which they regarded as an important factor in human thought.
The French philosophers of the Enlightenment, who were bound by stricter authorities regarding politics and the influence of the Church authorities, sought inspiration in the English philosophical and political tradition.
However, they did not necessarily embrace the idea of common sense, as they preferred to base truth on scientific and mathematical "evidence."
The Rational Base for Education and Morality
Pedagogy as a science had its root during the Age of Enlightenment. The philosophers and thinkers of that period saw education as a necessary tool to overcome ignorance, fear and superstition towards reaching an open-minded and egalitarian society.
They believed that misery and oppression existed due to ignorance and superstition and by purging and eliminating those elements through reason they were paving the way for a better and more peaceful society.
In fact, especially in the French tradition, human reason was thought to stem from human nature, and often in opposition to the doctrines of the Church and civilization itself.
The monumental endeavor of the Encyclopedia of French thinkers like Diderot and Voltaire was an attempt to define what is true in a scientific manner, to raise awareness and education and to question certain dogmas and beliefs proposed by the various authorities.
The Age of Reason and Natural Human Rights
The philosophers of the Enlightenment were fighting against censorship towards the practice of free speech. They believed that everyone should be able to voice their opinions free from the pressure of the Nobility and the Church.
Also, they were against the practice of slavery, an idea expressed clearly in the publication of Rousseau’s highly influential “Social Contract” in 1762.
The Age of Enlightenment has contributed greatly to the modern conception of humanity leading to the Declarations of Human Rights and free access to education among the people. It has also shaped the development of individuality, liberty and has set standards for modern democracies.
Sources:
- Gaarder, Jostein. El Mundo de Sofia. trans. Kirsti Baggethun and Asunción Lorenzo. Mexico City: Ediciones Siruela, 2001.
Readers may also enjoy Comte's Positivism and the Historical Phases along with Brief Review of Civil Rights Movement History and Milk, Gay Rights, and Hegel's Dialectic Method.
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