The Contributions of the Era of the Enlightenment , Developed between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, are so extensive that it must be divided according to the different sciences and thoughts in which it had more influence.
It was a time Of great advances for humanity in the main areas of knowledge for man. Historians consider this stage as the column that sustains the foundations of modern society and the origin of revolutionary thought.
The birth of this age can be found in the contributions of Isaac Newton , English physicist who managed to explain phenomena of the earth and the cosmos through scientific evaluation.
It would establish that the universe is the perfect creation, so it was vital that man understood its mechanism.
The Leading thinkers of the Enlightenment They took up this idea of the universe, and tried to apply it to society. They thought that if society and man are a mechanism, evaluation and reason could explain their phenomena and thus we could find a way to make them work perfectly.
Experts mention that this stage begins in 1620 with the creation of Novum organum , Written by Francis Bacon Where it is established that the technical and logical knowledge of science helps us control nature.
In turn, its end comes in 1781 with the Critique of Pure Reason from Immanuel Kant , Where he speaks that the human experience has the same value as the Scientific analysis .
Contributions of the Enlightenment to the Current Society
The Enlightenment is one of the most prolific eras of mankind because enormous advances were made in the main areas of human knowledge at that time.
These knowledge endure, although many without any change, thanks to the vanguard of thought and the constant search for reason. These are the main contributions of the Enlightenment to society.
1- Contributions to the Arts
One of the main features of the Enlightenment is the transfer of religion to the background.
For the first time, it sought to find a meaning to humanity beyond existing for divinities.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
This phenomenon is observable in early eighteenth-century painting, where the Rococo, a French artistic movement, centered on man and his worldly activities as the main object.
Nature, bodies and daily life were the main content of the new European art, which was previously thought to decorate chapels and highlight the divine.
In music this was notorious thanks to the work of composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose most famous operas had as main theme the relations of the common man and his work was enjoyed by both noble and plebeian.
2- Contributions to Philosophy
At this time, the two main currents of thought were Empiricism and Rationalism.
Immanuel kant, René Descartes and Julien Offray of La Mettrie
Empiricism, developed by thinkers such as John Locke (1632-1704), George Berkeley (1685-1753), and David Hume (1711-1776), argued that ideas and knowledge are formed through experiences and sensations.
On the other hand, the rationalism posed by Rene Descartes , Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), and Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716) assumed that knowledge was based on reason and logic, because this was the only way to universal truths.
They were opposed to empiricism, since they claimed that the senses were not reliable when looking for a correct answer.
These currents later served as inspiration for the German thinker Immanuel Kant, who established a bond between them without denying or invalidating the positions.
3- Contributions to the Policy
In this period, two great thinkers laid the foundations for modern democracy as we know it today.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Thomas Hobbes with his work Leviathan (1651), and John Locke with his Two Treaties on Civil Government (1690) criticized the divine appointment of monarchs and their duties to the people they ruled.
On these contributions, Jean-Jacques Rousseau Spoke of the existence of a social contract, where kings and rulers were responsible for a bilateral relationship and responsibility towards the people. The breach of this contract, said Rousseau, should end with the dismissal of the powerful.
This concept would later give rise to great social movements, such as the French Revolution that culminated in the dismissal of the rulers, who proclaimed themselves by divine word; Or the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.
4- Contributions to Astronomy
This was perhaps the most prolific stage of the father of astronomy, Galileo Galilei , To whom is attributed the simple description on the movements of the celestial bodies.
Galileo Galilei
It was through his observation that data were known as the orbits of some planets and details about the relief of the moon and sunspots.
Another great astronomer of the time was Edmond Halley, who found craters on the surface of Mars and observed the motion of celestial bodies with such precision that predicted the return of Halley's comet, which bears his name today.
5- Contributions to Physics
Isaac Newton
In addition to developing astronomy, Galilei is recognized in the field of physics for its innovative and rigorous methods of experimentation, which has positioned itself as a precursor to classical mechanics. Their experiments culminated in the prediction of Friction laws And acceleration.
His basic principle of relativity would lay the foundation of Isaac Newton's laws of gravity and was even a first approach to what Albert Einstein would later do in his work on the speed of light.
6- Contributions to Mathematics
Blaise Pascal
One of the most Prominent mathematicians Of the time was Blaise Pascal , Who focused on geometry and its uses. It is attributed the triangle of Pascal, a triangular figure that accommodates binomial coefficients.
Later, he established a celebrated mathematical theory of probability that was initially intended to be applied to gambling and chance, but which he eventually retook to argue for the existence of God and the benefits of virtuous life.
7- Contributions to Religion
Finally, religion was perhaps the most affected concept in this period. After a long dark for the sciences and a stage of stagnation, the religion would return the influences of all these currents to advance with the same direction of the humanity.
Creed and church and state were separated, which considerably reduced wars due to religious differences.
This transition culminated in the creation of libraries and universities where knowledge was freely shared, as well as the opening of museums and centers of culture, since art and the divine now became the property of man.
References
- Christianson, G. (1996). Isaac Newton: And the Scientific Revolution . Oxford University Press: USA.
- Khan Academy Media (f.). A beginner's guide to the Age of Enlightenment. Khan Academy . Retrieved from khanacademy.org.
- Lewis, H. (1992). The European Dream Of Progress And Enlightenment. History World Center . Retrieved from history-world.org.
- New World Encyclopedia (2016). Age of Enlightenment. New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved from newworldencyclopedia.org.
- Szalay, J. (2016). What Was the Enlightenment?. Live Science . Retrieved from livescience.com.
- The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (2017). Enlightenment: european history. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from britannica.com.