The seeds of the enlightenment came from theology. The Systematic Theology of Maimonides, Thomas, and Calvin, enabled philosophers to think systematically. That gave the basis. Then, the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453. Thousand of scholars, Christians and Jews, came to Europe. During the Reformation, the ancient wisdom of Rome and Greece became known all over Europe. In 1648 the 30 years war ended in Europe. At that point, religious wars ended. Also at that point, after so many Christians had been killing Christians, interest in Christianity declined. Intellectuals began looking for something to replace it. In England Francis Bacon proposed the idea that Science could solve a number of problems that had never previously been solved. He would influence all that followed. His thinking would influence the Enlightenment. Thomas Hobbes came up with his ideas on materialism and law. They would have an influence. Then john Locke stepped into the void. With his ideas, the enlightenment began. Hume continued it. In France, it influenced Voltaire and Rousseau. As people involved in the Enlightenment visited other nations, it spread there. Then in France it turned into the French Revolution. The Romantic Movement was a reaction against the Enlightenment.
The cultural movement known as Enlightenment occured in the 18th century. Enlightenment started in Europe, but it quickly moved to the colonies of America.
The rise of the public sphere and public opinion. The growth of a print culture and literary market. The breakdown of abolitionist politics. The rise of coffee houses, clubs, social gatherings.
Most consider the Age of Enlightenment to have ended with the start of the French Revolution in 1789. For more than a century before that the discoveries of scientists, such as Galileo, and ideas of philosophers, such as Rene Descartes, had led people into a rejection of the automatic respect for kings and the Christian priesthood that had been common in Europe during and since the Middle Ages. All nations contributed to the Enlightenment agenda, but the French led the way during the 18th century. The writings of Denis Diderot, Voltaire and D'Alembert, all French, provided the material for the supporters of the Enlightenment to take the argument to the traditionalists. These writers lived in the reign of King Louis the Fifteenth of France (1715-1774).
Frederick the Great
Scientific Revolution
Great Britain (Europe)
During the enlightenment governments and churches tried to stop spread enlightenment ideas
Salons helped to spread enlightenment ideals.
The Constitution of the US is generally considered by historians to be a typical Enlightenment product.
Prominent figures who helped spread Enlightenment ideas include philosophers like Voltaire, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as well as thinkers like Montesquieu and Denis Diderot. They published influential works that advocated for reason, individual rights, and skepticism of traditional authority, contributing to the intellectual revolution of the Enlightenment.
The ideas of the enlightenment
Benjamin Franklin
Enlightenment ideas were spread mostly through the circulation of books, pamphlets, and newspapers. Philosophers, writers, and thinkers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Locke played a significant role in popularizing these ideas through their works. Additionally, salons, coffeehouses, and correspondence networks provided spaces for intellectual debates and the exchange of ideas.
the spread of enlightenment ideals
The transmission of Enlightenment ideas to Greek thought influenced the development of a national consciousness.
Eastern philosophers and Christianity.
they get moody at that time of the month