Dialectic of Enlightenment

While neither Alexis De Tocqueville, nor Simon Schama, nor Jackson J. Spielvogel’s methodologies create a perfect history of the French Revolution, all provide essential insight into understanding the era. Each of these three historians write extensive volumes investigating the Revolution, yet they contain their own specific flaws and strengths. Literature shapes our historical understanding. A competent and tenacious author writes his history to his audience. Understanding his reader allows…

self-imposed immaturity, along with freedom, is the key to achieving enlightenment. Voltaire believed the enlightenment was inevitable, but stressed the importance of religious acceptance. Comparatively, the two thinkers offer similar points in regardance to their individual thoughts, but differ in whether or not the enlightenment is actually inevitable. Kant begins his response to the question, “what is enlightenment?”, by writing, “Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-imposed…

Recognized as the father of Enlightenment, Benjamin Franklin’s views on Enlightenment serve to put in perspective the importance of going forward and not being a static nation. Within the greater ideals of Enlightenment, this need to “get on” comes through, for Franklin, with the perfectibility of man. That is to say that he tried to attain moral perfection. For instance, his thirteen virtues are proof of his desire to better himself and his fellowmen. Regardless of the importance he gives to…

The French Revolution started in 1789 with the storming of the Bastille. The French society was divided into three classes or estates. It was the Third Estate that revolted to bring about change. There were three main causes that led up to the French Revolution. First were unequal rights in a divided society, second was the financial crisis that occurred at the same time as an extreme famine, and thirdly was the enlightened thinking of the Third Estate. The estates were divided between the Third…

The American and French revolutions were sparked from ideas stemming from the era of Enlightenment. This Enlightenment era was revolutionized by new theories of which government and citizens should work. These ideas stemming from philosophers like John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Rousseau and Montesquieu motivated the American and French Revolutions. For the general purpose of this paper, let us compare and contrast the causes of the American and French Revolutions and how these causes reflected in…

The Enlightenment What was the main idea of the philosopher’s? The main idea of the philosophers was to give people more rights and more freedom. The four main philosophers of the Enlightenment period, also known as the sage of reasoning, were John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Mary Wollstonecraft. During the age of reasoning well educated people known as the philosophers would meet up and discuss political, religious economic, and social questions, but what were the philosophers main idea.…

In Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, the revolutionaries' actions contradict the supposed ideals of reason with rash decisions blinded by revenge, and supposed ideals of progress because of savage and backward thinking demonstrated by the mob. The Enlightenment was a time of reason and increase in individualism that took place in the 18th century. Prior to the French Revolution, the Age of Reason pushed for equality and logical thinking. The values of reason are disregarded and contradicted when…

Unlike the French Revolution, the American Revolution was more fortunate. Essentially planned the purpose behind the American Revolution was to become independent, and have rights. Like usual, within revolutions, there will be battles but all these disputes had a reason behind it. The American Revolutionary war started after the French and Indian war because of the treaty, it doesn’t enable colonists to migrate past the Appalachian mountains and those that lived there must migrate back. The…

satisfaction and that would benefit the self and others comes up frequently in the two stories. In Candide, Voltaire's reoccurring quote is "everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds." This is the basic idea of the philosophies of Enlightenment thinkers. To these thinkers, the idea that there was any evil any the world would be false because that would mean that God isn't all powerful as he should be. They believe that God is essentially perfect. Voltaire doesn't think that…

Government Came to be The Enlightenment affected everyone in one way or another. Wether it be from the social classes, religious beliefs, or its political structure. Some people agreed with these ideas but some also went against them. The ideas of the Enlightenment had the largest impact on the social classes and political structures. Some of these effects were for the better and some were for the worst. Which impact created a bigger change in the world? The Enlightenment thoughts caused many…