Dialectic of Enlightenment

Social reform during the French Revolution developed due to the unfair political system, brutality perpetrated by the first estate, and the living conditions the lower class lived through, nevertheless the violence and genocide committed in order to create reform was immoral. Prior to the French Revolution, people of influence abused the political system in order to allow them to live in luxury. The government consisted of the first, second and third estate. The First Estate is composed of…

Scientific Tutelage Immanuel Kant designates that, “Enlightenment is a man’s release from his self-incurred tutelage. Tutelage is a man’s inability to make use of his understanding without direction from another. Self-incurred is this tutelage when its cause lies not in lack of reason but in lack of resolution and courage to use it without direction from another. Sapere aude! ‘Have courage to use your own reason!’---that is the motto of the enlightenment.” However, individuals in a society need…

In 1903, British philosopher G.E. Moore wrote the groundbreaking work Principia Ethica. Moore applied logic to ethics and promoted the ideals of friendship and love towards others, as well as aesthetic enjoyments. Moore’s work and philosophy was believed to have inspired members of the Bloomsbury Group. This philosophy freed them from the materialistic, utilitarian, and morality of the Victorian era to their more desired, idealistic and logical philosophy. John Maynard Keynes stated, "It was…

This significant event in history was triggered for several reasons. The three most important causes of the French Revolution were due to unfair taxation amongst the third estate, inspiration from the American Revolution, and the ideas of the Enlightenment. The first reason for the start of the French Revolution was because of the unfair taxation on the third estate. Prior to the revolution, France was divided into three estates through what is known as the “Old Regime.” In this old order,…

views of children and child-care. Before the Enlightenment period children were seen as vile and a nuisance by parents, this was because of high mortality rates. Children would be beaten by parents, cared for by other people than the actual parents, and harmed by negligence of parent. Suddenly when the Enlightenment period saw an expansion of many ideas that focused on having more love towards others and especially children. Along with Enlightenment, new medical practices such as the…

Olympe de Gouges was a woman in France during the 1700s. Normally a woman of this time period would be married, having children, and doing house work, but Olympe de Gouges was not the typical housewife that men expected her to be. She was an outspoken activist who truly changed France for the better. De Gouges fought for all people, women, Africans, orphans, the poor, the unemployed, the illegitimate, and the elderly. She did not do so by starting an all out rebellion, but using the little…

In the American and French Revolution, both the American and French Revolution tried to use some ideas from the European Enlightenment to help resolve some of the problems that were going on. The Enlightenment ideals were mainly focused on reason to solve problems going on. Philosophers such as Hobbes states that people are naturally selfish, cruel, and greedy and started to question the rights of men that state to have some sort of power given to them. They were influenced by these ideas,…

The four visual sources provided tell the story and development of the French Revolution. Each provides a different perspective of the French revolution as well as displaying the growing fear during this period. In the first visual called “Joyous Accord” the three estates; clergy, nobility and commoners, are interacting peacefully with each other. As the French Revolution progressed the visual images changed to fit the status of the revolution and show the effects it was having on each estate.…

The Message behind Candide In the story Candide, written by Voltaire, there are several lessons that are meant to be learned. Voltaire’s satirical approach entices the reader to want to continue reading the story, find out what happens next, and really try to read between the lines for the deeper meaning. He makes a major point with his statement, “Cultivate your garden.” Those three powerful words combine together in response to the apathy or lack of concern created by philosophical optimism…

the imperial throne of France, creating perhaps the most powerful European state and government of the 1800s. Most notable among these were the French and American Revolutions, which set the common mind to change the world in their favour, the Enlightenment, which spurred revolution and the embetterment of society, as well as Napoléon’s own actions and history, in that they led the way…