Dbq on Whether or Not Enlightenment Thinkers Based Ideas

DBQ When flavor upon for each one thinkers in recorded write up, we must break apart the influences, assuming there argon some(prenominal), that provide a foundation or stemmed the conception of the thinkers breed of thought or passel on a subject.For instance, the philosophes of the judgment ar often assumed to bugger off formulated their intellections single-handedly scarce if we were to analyze their thoughts we would see only of them stem from other ideas, or directly maintain thinkers views from the scientific rotation, much(prenominal) as the relationship or similarities of Humanity and reputation, the use of the Scientific Method, and the ongoing debate on trust and its place in human affairs.To begin with, the extensive use of the unseasoned accepted Scientific Method, or the new form of investigation that stemmed from it made the Enlightenments revolutionary government ideas possible. These documents support this incident, archive wiz, Rene Descarte s The give-and-take on Method, medical studentument five Holbachs The System of Nature, Rouseeaus Social Contract and Newtons Principia Mathematica.For instance In Rene Descartes The Discourse on Method he states his four steps of dubietying which started with he could never accept what was truth accept what he had already placed to be, secondly divide into as many possible parts as he could, third start with the simple and work your way into the complex, and at long last omit nothing and be certain of your work by careful records and reviews. These steps, when transferred into the research of finding the epitome of government, the interactions of a federation, and human nature itself standed a complex and encompassing view on the philosophes society and government.Also, by utilise this method a more than realistic or serviceable form of philosophy was created. Whereas in Greek philosophy most ideas where looking at a current government or in Platos case creating an entir ely new one with illogical and im concrete theorems, the Scientific Method allowed thinkers to gentleman by piece respond to societys and humanitys flaws and they realized government is the great debateable compromise in a mans life.It began to be understood that at the forefront of Mans separation from base beasts is the ability to persist in a society influenced by morals, reason, and ambition as debate to the animalistic instinct of their lesser cousins in the animal kingdom. (Doc 1) In top executive dHolbachs The System of Nature Holbach states The enlightened man, is his matury, in his graven image, who is capable of pursuing his own bliss, because he has learned to go throughExperience teaches Nature acts by simple, uniform, and invariable laws. According to Holbach man whitethorn pursue happiness due to his reason, as opposed to Natures infinite oscillation man may change. Doc 5) Another result of the Scientific Revolutions Scientific Method is Rousseaus The Soci al Contract in which he outlines the requirement of man to participate in a society of his fellow man. Rousseau states What man loses by the social contract is his intrinsic shore leave and unlimited right to allthingwhat he gains is civil liberty and proprietorship of all he possesses. The implications of this idea would stem a new frame of judicial decision, one that required self-realization and an individuals logic, a once solution theory was now shared by many philosophers.However, in influence to keep society from imploding on itself some freedoms must be curtailed, which was the buns of the so called social contract the largest compromise in human history and what allowed the pursuit of happiness, and the achievement of ones full potential. (Doc 8) Adding to this frame of thinking, and maybe a major reason it existed is detailed in Newtons Principia Mathematica it states, Nature does nothing in vain.. for Nature is pleased with simplicity, and affects not the pompou sness or superfluous causes. Applying the idea that nothing happens without a cause in Nature to Man, drove the philosophes to analyze human nature, and it may be verbalise that all ideas of human nature stem from Newtons no reaction without cause avouchment, mirrored by the scientists of the Scientific Revolution (Doc 2). The oppositeness to thinkers of the Scientific Revolution from the Enlightenment thinkers is often in religious matters. In support of devotion is Galileo and Pascal, opposing it are Didrot and Holbach. In support of religion Galileo wrote in his Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo, ..It appears that nothing sensual which sense-experience set before our eyes.. ought to be called into question upon the testimony of Biblical passages For the Bible is not chained in every expression to conditions as strict as those which govern all physical effects. In this statement Galieleo attributes the breaks of logic in the Bible and theology as a whole, To the fact that it is simply expressions, or that due to lack of come omniscient human understanding things may be explained by the forepart of a divine spirit.Which leads straight into Pascals Pensees in which he states What is a man in the infinite? This simple statement sums up Pascals reasoning of religion, he is as theorize to get across the fact that no matter what Humanity will never in full understand every process in Nature or the Universe, and as such it is only logical that something must understand everything, which would mean that something would have had to created it, and thus the presence of God is explained.This was more or less the view of other Scientific Revolution thinkers, the common consensus was that science, even in its greatest form would never be able to fully explain everything it is incisively not humanly possible, and as such a divine force, great than man must have a place in the creation of things. Another Scientific Revolutionary view was that science could explain Nature, which is created by God and allow the church to piece out the moral and theological concepts of religion and society.This train of thought was contradictory to Enlightenment thinkers, who believed it was their job to piece out every last piece of human society, and improve upon it. So when the topic of religion was introduced, having a certain bias due to the Catholic Churchs previous actions they were more than happy to either cut religion altogether, or introduce the idea of religious tolerance and freedom.Pascal was a deeply religious man himself, and having spent most of his time trying to justify religion, can theoretically be seen as an expert on the topic. (Doc 4) One such example of an atheistic world view is that of magnate dHolbach in his The System of Nature he states In his perfection (the enlightened man) is capable of pursuing his own happiness, because he has learned to examine and think for himself and not to take the truth upon the authority of oth ers. This frame of mind of Holbach that man is the epitome of life and perfection, as well as each individual must not take orders or value the ideas of others unless weighed and examined agree to their own logic directly goes against the concept of most religion, and especially the universality of France, the country Holbach resided in after moving from Germany. Simply put Christianity has 2 main ideals no one is perfect, and due to the imperfection of man trustingness must be place in God to forgive and allow certain truths to come to light.Holbach himself was an atheist, and express that often and it was considered widely known he had no belief in a higher power. (Doc 5) Supporting Holbachs viewpoint is Diderot in his Encyclopedia Diderot states Reason is in the estimation of the philosopher what fancify is to the Christian. Grace determines the Christians action reason the philosophers. It is quite homely that Diderot is not attracted to what he sees as a sort of blind u n-investigated organized religion of a Christian, ideas like this oppose the religious tolerance of the Scientific Revolution, however, some Enlightenment thinkers believed religion had a place in society.One such Enlightenment philosophe, Thomas Paine, supported religion, mainly in the way he stated in his Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens that no man ought to be molested on account of his opinions, not even on account of religious opinions. Essentially, religion was a choice and as such man had according to his natural rights, the ability to choose a religion provided it would not harm or threaten the commonwealth, and in theory freedom of religion works well, and benefits the whole.However, as shown in countless examples ages of strict government mandated religions would oppose this religious freedom, but nevertheless, Paine did support religion and the freedom of choosing one as a lifelike Right. Finally, the separation of man from Nature which allowed the age o f Enlightenment and the economic success during the philosophes time was a direct result of the Scientific Revolution. Rousseau and Lockes ideas stemmed from men like Newton and Descartes.The scientists focus on natures and victimisation of ideas about possible uses and the complete understanding of Natures processes, such as Francis Bacons idea that nature was there for experimentation and practical implications which morally justified the brutal Imperialism of the period. Another enlightenment concept establish of a Scientific Revolution idea is shown in this Imperialism simply, Man is greater than Nature, and as such must have certain contracts with one another(prenominal) to fully achieve his potential.In Jean Jacques Rousseaus The Social Contract he states As soon as the multitude is thus united in one body, you cannot offend on of its members without attacking the whole This details the vernacular protection of numbers in a society, and society is what separates man from Na ture, as society is a concept produced from logic and reason, and during the Scientific Revolution, logic and reason where also said to be what separated Man from Nature (Doc 12) Furthering this idea is John Locke in his Second Treatise on Government he writes semipolitical power is that power, which every man having in the state of nature, has given up into the hands of society, and therein to the governors. that it shall be employed for their good and preservation of their property. This proves the fact that society is a compromise which goes against our instinct but preserve more people as a whole, and by going against our instinct using logic, humanity is superior in every way to nature. Locke was a expectant physician and philosopher who had, since college, been interested in what at the time was considered modern philosophy. Doc 7) These ideas stemmed from Descartes four steps of reasoning (Doc 1) and Newtons statement To this purpose the philosophers say that Nature does nothing in Vain (Doc 2) In conclusion, in many cases ideas are formed from pieces of many other ideas, to say the thinkers of the Enlightenment stood on the shoulders of men of the Scientific Revolution is true to a point. Yes, they did use a combination of their ideas in the Enlightenment but in many cases their ideas directly opposed them, or expanded upon them. So, while the Enlightenmnt thinkers may be indebted for the Scientific Method most of their ideas are new or conflicting concepts when compared to the ideas of the Scientific Revolution.