Free Essays on Enlightenment to Get Inspired & Learn by Example

‘Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?’

My thesis is the following: Enlightenment is not just the era and not just knowledge. Enlightenment is an epoch which gave the people a chance to be enlightened, as well as to get out of control and management of other people and to be guided by their own minds. Enlightenment changed the attitude of humanity to their inherent reasonable ability - the power (ability) of judgment. Before the Enlightenment humanity did not understand and did not use properly inherent reasonable ability, which is the ability to judge, think and act reasonably and independently.
Answering the question of the priest Continue reading...

What was the enlightenment

and why is it important for the development of sociology
The époque of the Enlightenment is one of the most important periods for sociological science development. Covering the late 17th and 18th centuries, it created the fundamentals for scientific and humanistic approaches and attitudes, positioning humans with their rational thinking in the center of the universe, opening the pathway for rational and critical thinking as a method of gnosis and rationalizing. These developments and approaches helped the sociology to grow as a science. This paper is aimed at describing the époque of the Enlightenment and its heritage important for Continue reading...

Early Life

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the most important philosophers of The Enlightenment. Rousseau was very interested in what characteristics man inherently possessed from birth compared to what man learned from society. Rousseau coined the term “noble savage” to describe man in his natural state before he is corrupted by society. Rousseau’s thoughts and philosophy are a result of his upbringing and the state of the world, socially and politically, around him (Magee 126).
Rousseau was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1712. His mother dies a few days after his birth. He was at first, raised by his father Continue reading...

The categorical imperative according to Kant is the supreme principle of morality. He formulated this concept in his ‘Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals’ (1785).The questions concerning the morals were and remain to be relevant to this day. In everyday, the ethical and moral principles of our time, of course, differ from those that were in the XVIII century, but the basic moral principles, which people must adhere to in their behavior, are unchanged. Kant believed that people act due to their will, guided by the certain principles. However, only unconditional principles may be valid as the moral Continue reading...

English

As per Immanuel Kant, enlightenment is defined as an Individual’s evolution from his self-attributed minority. Minority in this context is explained by Kant as the incapability to employ a person’s own knowledge level devoid supervision by others. The approach towards achieving significant enlightenment is considered as a risky process by Kant. He says that it is hard to think about enlightening oneself. Nevertheless, those people who are presently assuming the role of enlightening others regarding their thought process make this step even worst.
Kant argues that it is practical and possible for the public to get enlightened Continue reading...

(Name of Professor)

Rousseau was, arguably, one of the gentlest philosophers Europe ever produced, insomuch that he was much more charitable to ideas and peoples which other thinkers would simply brush aside. But this gentleness (or, perhaps ‘gentility’) came with a razor edge – Rousseau understood how to make a point and make it subtly enough so that he could not be penalized but his target would still get the point. The second part of the Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality among Men is an excellent example of this. The question of whether or not Rousseau views Continue reading...

Jean-Jacques Rousseau had a radical political agenda, radical for his time, the main idea of ​​it was the democratic organization of public life through the "social contract". The idea that the state arises on the voluntary union, noted in his "Discourse on Inequality", described in more detail in the "political economy" and later the "social compact." In his works, Rousseau explores not only the origin and development of the state, but also the principles of public law, in other words - the basis of a legitimate state.
Rousseau distinguishes natural and social inequality. Of course, he recognizes that nature Continue reading...

This essay is going to refute the Buddhist thought that women are incapable of achieving enlightenment without being reborn as a man. As we know, Buddhism has a very long past; from India it slowly moved east through the eastern countries like China, Japan and Korea (Andrews 1). As a religion that discusses peace and kindness, it has begun to awaken significant interest in the Western Countries. The thing that made it difficult for Buddhism to spread its teachings in the west is the dismissive attitude in those countries. Throughout its spread to many countries, it has changed and Continue reading...

According to the most popular philosophers and thinkers of the day, the Enlightenment was the main engine of a social progress. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the themes of social development and social progress were the central ideas, because of natural interest to them. During the period of Enlightenment crucial changes in the economic, political, social and spiritual spheres occurred. According to the philosophers, progress was closely related to the development of scientific knowledge and civil society, appearance of spiritual and moral values, principles of justice, humanity, moderation and diligence, progress of morality and law, and the rise Continue reading...

Mills and Kant developed interesting arguments, which forms the basis of the concept of morality. The doctrine of utility proposed by Mills explores the idea of morality through referring to the consequences of the action, especially by establishing whether it brings happiness to the majority. On the other hand, Kant’s concept reviews the issue of morality in relation to the will or an action. Although both the doctrine of utility and categorical imperative are very authoritative, the utilitarian perspective provides a better foundation for morality. Mills theory offers a better foundation in the sense that it provides a Continue reading...