For many years now I have listened to teachers spe Essay Example For Students

For many years now I have listened to teachers spe Essay ak about Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. However, I have never really understood what made that certain time period the Age of Reason. In this paper, I hope to clarify exactly what the Age of Enlightenment was by using different quotes from authors and notes that I have taken in class. I also hope to show how different authors used deism in their writings. The Enlightenment was an age that stressed reason rather than stressing authority. In Benjamin Franklins Autobiography, he states that he wished to live without committing any fault at any time; that he would conquer all that neither natural inclination, custom or company might lead him into. Habit took the advantage of inattention. Inclination was too strong for reason. He concluded that our interest was not sufficient to prevent our slipping, and that the contrary habits must be broken and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any dependence on a steady uniform rectitude of conduct. (385-386) The authority was very powerful during this time but with many people stressing reason instead of authority, it gradually lost its power. The Enlightenment was a shift from otherworldly to this worldly point of view. The Enlightenment was an interest in scientific inquiry. It was an age of great optimism. It was the belief in human and social perfectibility; that humankinds inherent tendency was to become better human beings. It was an era of self-confidence, where personal effort can lead to reform. That one must analyze and deal with all social problems. Deism was an important factor of the Enlightenment. According to Websters dictionary, deism is a movement or system of thought advocating natural religion, emphasizing morality, and in the 18th century denying the interference of the Creator with the laws of the universe. Benjamin Franklin was a deist. One characteristic of Deism is that Man, though personal, is part of the clockwork of the universe. Man has intelligence, a sense of morality, and a capacity for community and creativity. These, however, are not grounded in Gods character. They have a sort of autonomous nature. Franklin wrote that he was never without some religious principles, that he never doubted the existence of the deity, that he made the world, or governed it. However there were people of that age that were anti-deism. (384) For example Philip Freneau wrote in his poem called On the Universality and other Attributes of the God of Nature, that he lives in all, and never strayed. A moment from the works he made. (565) This was completely out of the concepts of the 18th century characteristics of Enlightenment writings. It was completely anti-deism. Thomas Paine was also a deist during the Enlightenment. He believed in one God, and hoped for happiness beyond his life. He thought that it was necessary to the happiness of man to be mentally faithful to himself. (502) This coincides with a certain characteristic of Enlightenment. Life should be devoted to the pursuit of ones happiness. Another characteristic of the Enlightenment is that emphasis was placed on the group rather than the individual. Thomas Paine believed in the equality of man. (502) He did not believe in the creed that was professed by the Jewish, Roman, Greek, Turkish, and Protestant church. He believed that his own mind was his own church. He believed that every national church or religion has established itself by pretending some special mission from God and communicated to certain individuals. (502-503) This was a rejection of the supernatural superstitions and miracles. His papers Common Sense and The American Crisis were not widely accepted. .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a , .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a .postImageUrl , .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a , .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a:hover , .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a:visited , .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a:active { border:0!important; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a:active , .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ube84457f65d40668e6201eb1edfbfd6a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: tess of the d' Urbervilles and fate Essay I believe that these two works were influential in the age of Enlightenment. Common Sense helped create the national mood that inspired The Declaration of Independence. His Common Sense paper stated many different things about society and about the government. I believed that his statement that those who are in a community, if they have a common interest, will mutually and naturally support each other and this depends on the strength of the government and those who are governed by that government says it all. The origin and the rise of the government was a mode that was necessary by the inability of the moral virtue to govern the world. The design and end of government is freedom and security. (495) This follows the deist characteristic that ethics is limited to general revelation because the universe is normal and it reveals what is right. Paine roused colonists with the first sentence of his .