The Enlightenment As A Period Of Time During The...

Heather Cuevas Professor Joel Gillaspie History 102 July 19, 2015 The Enlightenment is known as a period of time during the eighteenth century in which the most influential thinkers throughout Europe, Britain, and France expressed criticism and mistrust of traditional customs, morals, and institutions. These individuals were known as the Enlightenment Thinkers and consisted primarily of elite writers and intellectuals. The Enlightenment Thinkers, mostly through their writings, were able to spread their ideas of a new European outlook which would ultimately have a profound influence in the minds of the French revolutionaries. Promoting their ideas, the Enlightenment Thinkers emphasized reason, knowledge, and science, and the concept of rational change. They believed the concept of reasoning could be applied in situations other than scientific in nature enabling them to learn more about religion, society, and politics making for an overall improved society. Ideas were also shared through Skepticism, a belief that certainty did not exist. They believe that in order to be certain, there had to be proof, nothing could be accepted on faith alone. Scottish philosopher, David Hume, used Skepticism to share his views against established religion. He stated that â€Å"The revealed truths of Christian religion could have no bases, and also that religion grows out of hope or fear† (Textbook, p. 431), which challenged the explanations of Christianity that were based onShow MoreRelatedWomen in the Enlightenment Essay1406 Words   |  6 PagesThe Enlightenment is known as the revolution that brought to question the traditional political and social structures. This included the question of the woman’s traditional roles in society. As the public sphere relied more and more and the advances in scientific and educated thinking, women sought to join in with the ranks of their male counterparts. 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