In looking at the philosophical ideas of Newton, Locke and Descartes, one could argue that the Enlightenment did lead to significant changes in how people thought about the world, due to innovations, new ideas, and new ways of thinking which led to the rejection of beliefs in superstition and pessimism and acceptance of rationale, experimentation, and progress, leading by experience and observation. The rejection of religious dogmatism, monarchical authority and magic led to the acceptance and growth of equality, toleration, intellectual autonomy, liberty and democracy, and universal natural rights. I will argue that the Enlightenment did lead to significant changes in how people thought about the world.
Science within the Enlightenment gave way to different types of thoughts and discourse. Inventions such as the first manned hot air balloon by the Montgolfier Brothers quite literally changed the way we thought about the world with different ways of being able to view it. However, this is just a point to exemplify how inventions had an impact in the Enlightenment. Contributions by Leonhard Euler in applied mathematics, in fields such as mechanics and hydraulics are two examples, as well as advancements in algebra, number theory, and geometry. Advancements within chemistry, physics, and mathematics ultimately had an impact on how we would think about the world as this these advancements would be used to discredit fields such as astronomy and alchemy which would also then cast doubt on the religious authority. However, whilst the advancement in science was positive, it wasn’t universally seen in the same light. Jean-Jacques Rousseau criticized the field as it did not aim to make man happy and would seek to separate themselves from nature.
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Science was also becoming relevant in an increasingly literate society. With the increase of scientific academies came a need for scientific publications which the academies could not solely fulfill. This led to more independent journals and periodicals being published to help fill in this gap which in turn gave the increasingly literate society access to new scientific ideas and thoughts. With this newfound access, how people thought about the world would significantly change compared to how the world was thought about previously. However, most journals published their work in their local or regional vernacular, so the spread was greatly reduced and some ideas were not widely accepted until later in time such as the theory by Mikhail Lomonosov that the ring of light around Venus was its atmosphere. So while science was becoming widely accepted in the world and would ultimately let the general public view the world in a different way, it was still limited due to constraints such as regional and language barriers, nevertheless, despite these hindrances, how people thought about the world was significantly changing.
Philosophy laid the foundations and encouraged the way of thinking commonly associated with the Enlightenment. Regarding the philosophical way of thinking, changing the way we as a species see ourselves would also open a different way in which we would think about not only ourselves but the world around us. Rene Descartes’ rationalist philosophy challenged the empiricist way of thinking. Whereas one would base their knowledge through experience and external senses, a rationalist would use logic, independent of sensory experience. With that school of thought, if one applied rationalist theory to their everyday life then the way they would think about the world would change. Instead of having to base everything on what they see, they would instead start using their intuition without the prior need for experience.
Two schools of thought in the Enlightenment that I believe are key in how people thought about the world; the moderate view which was championed by Descartes, John Locke, and Christian Wolff, and the other radical which was pioneered by Baruch Spinoza. The moderate way of thinking sought to accommodate the traditional concept of the world such as faith and the current power structure. The radical side aimed at freedom of expression, weakening of the religious order and faith, individual freedoms, and advocating democracy. Regarding the radical side of philosophical thinking during the Enlightenment, those key themes would be detrimental in changing how people would think about the world.
Freedom of expression would lead people to challenge the current power doctrine and structure without fear of repercussion. This then links with the advocacy of democracy which would then challenge the religious power structure rooted within monarchies across Europe and even the United States to which they based their Constitution. Montesquieu was a firm champion of the belief in separation of powers. However, whilst many within the Enlightenment were part of the nobility such as in France, these ideas played an important role in shaping how people thought about the world during the Enlightenment when traditions were beginning to break down.
Attempts to reform religion during the Enlightenment would change how people think about the world due to the freedom of speech in religious discourse without fear of persecution and prejudice. Organized religion was dominant, and pioneers of the Enlightenment sought to curtail the power it had upon the general public. This was in response to religious conflicts in the previous century such as the Thirty Years War. But while some sought to eradicate the chokehold religion had, others such as Locke sought to reform it so that religious discourse wouldn’t spill over into politics and cause another religious war. Thomas Jefferson tried to separate how they believed one should live their life, that being the moral code within Christianity and the true essence of Jesus Christ from what they believed to be false such as miracles, angels, and Christ’s resurrection. As more or less most of the public followed religion or was surrounded by religion in their everyday lives, these changes would certainly change how one thought about the world.
During the Enlightenment, many contemporary ideas came about such as Deism and Atheism. Whilst the latter deals with the nonexistence of deities, the former deals with the belief of a god but without reference to certain scripture such as the Bible. But despite this new way of thinking about the world, very few Enlightenment scholars whether they were critics of religion were not atheists but rather sceptics that came about this new way of thinking. So, whilst there was this attempt to push towards a more free-thinking society, morality as a way of thinking about the world was always within the Enlightenment as they would be without the need for religious persecution and prejudice and more acceptance and tolerance in the world. Different ways of thinking about the world through religion could be interpreted differently. Whilst Thomas Paine put forward that a simple belief in God the Creator would let a person live his life through personal reason, Locke argued that without god and divine law, there would be moral anarchy. With this, one could argue that a sense of free will separate from religious constraints would change how one would think about the world as they would be driven solely by their self-satisfaction and would look towards more pleasure in the world.
The Enlightenment was a period of major change within Europe and allowed those living within it an opportunity to think about or start thinking about the world in different ways. Scientifically, advances in fields such as chemistry, physics, medicine, and mathematics helped how we as a species would think about the world as well as allowing the common man and general public the opportunity to see and think about the world differently than what was previously thought and allowed as they had access through published journals and periodicals, as well as the transition from universities to academies.
Philosophy was instrumental in kickstarting the change within the Enlightenment, especially being at the core of changes in other areas. Different ways in which men thought about themselves would ultimately lead to changing the way they thought about the world. Instead of living in and seeing the world through experience only, they could allow themselves to think about the world in a more hypothetical sense, which would open up new realms of possibilities that would ultimately lead to advancements elsewhere as well as the breakdown in traditions.
As the Enlightenment introduced new schools of thought and freedom of expression, it allowed man to challenge the traditional religious power structure within Europe at the time. The separation of religion from the state was at the forefront of this movement to not allow another repeat of the Thirty Years War and prevent religious spillover into politics in the future whilst religious reformers tried to go back to a more basic way of thinking within religion, as well as limit religious prejudice and persecution.
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