According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Enlightenment was "characterized by dramatic revolutions in science, philosophy, society and politics; these revolutions swept away the medieval world-view and ushered in our modern western world."
This was a period in history where science and rationality came into full power. Western culture began to see factual knowledge as the culmination of human society, not faith. During the Reformation period, despite the famous split between the Protestant Church...
According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Enlightenment was "characterized by dramatic revolutions in science, philosophy, society and politics; these revolutions swept away the medieval world-view and ushered in our modern western world."
This was a period in history where science and rationality came into full power. Western culture began to see factual knowledge as the culmination of human society, not faith. During the Reformation period, despite the famous split between the Protestant Church and the Catholic Church, Christianity still held most of the power in society. Not only were positions of public authority, like royalty, the heads of the church, but Christianity held power over the very souls of the people.
The Enlightenment ushered in a different world. One area to see that is the field of philosophy. Prior to the Enlightenment, philosophical studies were simply small pieces in the study of theology. However, "the dramatic success of the new science in explaining the natural world... promotes philosophy... from a handmaiden of theology, constrained by its purposes and methods, to an independent force with the power and authority to challenge the old and construct the new" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). At the time, philosophy would have also included the natural sciences. Yes, that's right, prior to the Enlightenment even the study of science was under the control of the church.
This all culminates in the physical overthrow of church power in France. The famous French Revolution took place as a means for the people to overcome traditional social authorities like the the class system, the nobility, and, of course, the Catholic Church.
In France, the Church held enormous political and social power. And this was normal for the time. Christianity and political power were virtually synonymous for Reformers. But Enlightenment thinking led to a violent disavowing of that kind of relationship between faith and authority.
This final quote will illustrate how the Enlightenment changed the Church's power over the individual as well:
"Enlightenment philosophy tends to stand in tension with established religion, insofar as... daring to think for oneself, awakening one's intellectual powers, generally requires opposing the role of established religion in directing thought and action. The faith of the Enlightenment – if one may call it that – is that the process of enlightenment, of becoming progressively self-directed in thought and action through the awakening of one's intellectual powers, leads ultimately to a better, more fulfilled human existence." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
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