Concepts of the Enlightenment

Paper Summary:

Various thinkers, writers and philosophers have been associated with the Enlightenment, each expounding different theories on how the world works and how society could be improved, but all having a few core beliefs in common. This essay argues that while optimism and confidence were key factors to driving the enlightenment forward, it was reason and rationality that were actually the main concepts of the Enlightenment.

From the Paper:

"The Enlightenment was a period in European history to which it is difficult to assign dates to. It is generally agreed however, that the 17th and 18th Centuries was when this kind of thinking was most prolific. It was a time when people began to change the way they thought, and the way they viewed the world. They adopted new values and beliefs in place of the old ones dictated by the Church and tradition. They believed that man was essentially a rational being, and that by using reason and logic to examine the world, the natural order could be discovered and understood, and used to make the world a better place. "It's watchwords were: rationality not tradition, happiness in this life, not salvation in the next." Thus confidence and optimism were important aspects in the progression of this movement. However, to what extent they could be considered key concepts of the Enlightenment, is disputable."

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