The Enlightenment was a philosophical and intellectual movement that happened between the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe, especially in France. Enlightenment thinkers advocated the individual freedoms and the use of reason to validate knowledge.
Also called "Century of Lights", the Enlightenment movement represents the rupture of ecclesiastical knowledge, that is, of the domination that the Catholic Church exercised over knowledge. And it gives rise to scientific knowledge, which is acquired through rationality.
Enlightenment is a movement of Modern age who broke with theocentrism - a doctrine that puts God at the center of everything - and came to see the individual as the center of knowledge.
The Origin of Enlightenment
During the Middle Ages, between the 5th and 15th centuries, European society was marked by the strong influence of Catholic church.
The church defended a theocentric view of society and much of the knowledge was the result of religious beliefs, prophecies and people's own imagination.
Between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Age, the progress of science begins to question much knowledge and the very understanding of the world proposed by religion.
The discovery that the Earth was not the center of the universe, for example, undermined the supremacy of ecclesiastical knowledge.
The absolutist regime was also another factor of dissatisfaction for a large part of the population. These societies were divided into estates and the clergy and nobility - who were at the top of the social pyramid - enjoyed privileges, which were supported by the taxes of the people.
This set of discontents on the part of the population would lead to the French Revolution, which was inspired by Enlightenment ideas and represents the main milestone of this intellectual movement.
Also understand the meaning of absolutism and meet the characteristics of absolutism.
What was the Enlightenment?
Enlightenment can be understood as a break with the past and the beginning of a phase of progress of humanity. This phase is marked by a revolution in science, the arts, politics, and legal doctrine, for example.
The Enlightenment wanted to free themselves from the darkness and obscurity provided by absolutist regimes and the influence of the Catholic Church. Many of them were against established religion, but they were not atheists, they believed that man would reach God through reason.
Contrary to what religion preached, the Enlightenment intellectuals defended that man was the holder of its own destiny and that reason should be used to understand nature human.
Reason was, therefore, a central element of Enlightenment ideals, after all, only rationality could validate knowledge. They believed that education, science and knowledge were the key to this liberation.
This understanding was in opposition to knowledge based on religious beliefs and mysticisms, which for the Enlightenment philosophers, blocked the progress of humanity.
Painting of priests studying astronomy and geometry in late 15th century France.
Understand the meaning of reason.
Top Enlightenment Ideas
- End of church dominion over knowledge
- Reason as a driver of knowledge
- Individual as the center of knowledge
Enlightenment and the progress of science
During this period, the knowledge breaks the boundaries of imagination and starts to be built based on scientific observations, with empirical experiments.
It was at that moment that man discovered how the orbits of the planets and the blood circulation in the human body worked. The creation of the microscope allowed the field of view to be expanded and the understanding of nature to be expanded.
Robert Hooke (1635-1703) created the compound microscope and is considered the discoverer of the cell.
Electricity, the formation process of planet Earth, the working principle of vaccines, the existence of bacteria and protozoa, and the law of universal gravitation were discovered.
All these advances in science were fundamental to making the Industrial Revolution possible years later.
Learn more about Industrial Revolution.
Enlightenment and policy development
Illuminists were also responsible for the evolution of political thought and the role of the state in society. In general, these thinkers were opposed to absolutist regimes, in which a small portion of the population enjoyed privileges and the rest of the population was oppressed.
The focal point of the Enlightenment's political discussions were the individual freedoms of citizens. For these philosophers, the State should guarantee individual rights, freedom of expression, legal equality, justice and possession of goods.
know more about democracy and monarchy.
Enlightened Despotism
The democratizing principles, however, were not applied in all countries influenced by Enlightenment ideals. In some countries, what is conventionally called "enlightened despotism" was formed. absolutist political system that implemented some ideas of the Enlightenment.
In these countries, the monarchs continued to exercise their absolute power, but they had to know the Enlightenment principles or be advised by philosophers of that current.
In these cases, however, no reforms were carried out to restructure society or guarantee greater participation by the people in political decisions.
See also the meaning of despotism.
Characteristics of the Enlightenment
- Defense of rational knowledge;
- Opposition to mercantilism and monarchical absolutism;
- Supported by the bourgeoisie;
- Defense of the natural rights of the individual (freedom and free possession of goods, for example);
- God is present in nature and in man himself;
- Defense of economic freedom (without State interference);
- Advocacy for greater political freedom;
- Anthropocentrism.
Know what was the anthropocentrism.
Enlightenment thinkers
Meet some of the leading Enlightenment philosophers and their ideas:
Voltaire (1694 - 1778)
Voltaire, pseudonym of François-Marie Arouet, was a French philosopher member of the bourgeoisie. An ardent critic of absolutism and the power exercised by the Catholic Church, he had as a pillar of his philosophy the freedom of expression and thought.
He argued that the State should be a constitutional monarchy and that the monarch should be advised by philosophers. Voltaire was an admirer of the English Constitution and in his work "Philosophical Letters" compared religious tolerance and freedom of expression in England to backward French society.
Understand the meaning of freedom of expression.
Montesquieu (1689 - 1755)
French and linked to the aristocracy, Montesquieu developed in his main work - "The Spirit of Laws" - the Doctrine of the Three Powers. Most modern states today have their structure based on this idea.
This doctrine defends the division of power between the legislature, executive and judiciary. For the philosopher, "every man who has power is tempted to abuse it", thus, the separation of powers would be a way to curb such abuses.
Know the differences between the Legislative power, Executive power and Judicial power.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 - 1778)
Rousseau was born in Switzerland but lived most of her life in France. the philosopher was defender ofdemocracy and private property critic, which for her was the origin of inequalities and social ills.
His main work was "Social Contract", where he describes that in order to build a harmonious society, people should obey the general will. This would only be possible with a Social contract, according to which men should give up some rights in favor of the community.
Understand the meaning of Private propriety.
Enlightenment in Brazil
The Enlightenment ideals in Brazil motivated the Inconfidência Mineira (1789), the Conjuração Fluminense (1794), the Revolta dos Tailors in Bahia (1798) and the Pernambuco Revolution (1817). Around here, economic and political freedom and the end of absolutism were also defended.
The Enlightenment served as a motivation for the separatist movements of the 18th century in Brazil and was of great importance in the country's political development.
See also the meaning of distrust.
