The Causes of the Enlightenment They were, among others, the reaction towards societies in which religion was above all, the thought of the importance of the human being over the deity or the wars of religion that had plagued Europe for years.
It can be said that the Illustration is heiress of Renaissance , when a recovery of the Reason over Faith begins. The Enlightenment, or Century of Lights, is a cultural and philosophical movement that takes place in Europe during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, depending on the country.
The main point of this movement is the superiority of human reason over religious beliefs. Besides, it developed politically demanding a more egalitarian society. The English and French revolutions are daughters of this thought.
Main causes of the birth of the Enlightenment
After centuries of obscurantism Middle Ages , in which religion and God was above the human being, the Renaissance brings new airs of European society.
Even without breaking with the previous structures, part of the Aristotelian ideas is recovered and Reason begins to gain importance.
The Wars of Religion that developed in France and part of Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, also make certain social strata begin to tire of the superiority of everything religious.
1- Appearance of intellectuals and the bourgeoisie
The structure of social layers that had remained rigid for centuries began to change little by little. The emergence of the bourgeoisie, with economic means, changes the balance of power.
Where before there were only upper class, clergy and lower class, now find a new actor who also begins to consider the need for change.
In this way, intellectuals appear who cry out for giving greater importance to the human being and who do not accept the preponderance of religion and the Church. This leads to a great political and philosophical movement.
2- The Reason against Faith in Science
After a long time in which science was threatened by religion, which considered many investigations as heretical, characters like Newton or Locke In England, they begin to develop their ideas.
In this way, the human being realizes that he can begin to explain the universe without resorting to Faith, which gives him a great capacity for thought.
The Church is no longer needed to know what is happening, but rational explanations appear to the events that occur.
Finally, this will lead to the so-called Encyclopedism. It is the great project developed in England first, and then in France.
Authors such as Diderot, Voltaire or D'Alembert strive to dump all the knowledge so that it would be accessible to the population that knew how to read at the time.
3- Waste ecclesiastical
The expenses caused by the Wars of Religion, plus the own one of the religious institutions, caused enormous malaise between the first enlightened ones.
At a time when large sections of the population were hungry or living in subhuman conditions, the expense of Cardinals, Bishops and other religious was seen as unethical.
4- Changes in the world view
The Enlightenment not only affected science and philosophy in the abstract, but also changed the vision of what the world should be like. Authors such as Montesquieu, Rousseau or Voltarie begin to theorize about changes in society to end inequalities.
With some differences between them, if they agree that the Faith and the Church have contributed to the people being ignorant and, thus, more easily manageable.
By betting on Reason, they pretend that anyone is the owner of their own destiny and the revolutionary concept that everyone is born equal begins to appear.
These ideas would develop over the years until they lead to French Revolution . There, the motto of Freedom, Equality and Fraternity and putting Reason and the human being on religious beliefs, would become the greatest exponent of the Enlightenment.
Articles of interest
Consequences of the Enlightenment .
References
- Paxala Illustration. Retrieved from paxala.com
- Mayos, Gonzal. Illustration. Retrieved from ub.edu
- History.com. Enlightenment Retrieved from history.com
- Suffolk County Community College. The Enlightenment. Retrieved from sunysuffolk.edu
- Duignan, Brian. Enlightenment Retrieved from britannica.com