Name:
Tutor:
Course:
Date:
The European Enlightenment
Question 1
The European Enlightenment or the Age of Enlightenment is a period in which European philosophy, politics, communications, and science experienced a new orientation and shift in ideas and schools of thought. It happened from the 17th century to the 19th century. This shift and radical thinking sprawled throughout England, Germany, and France. The enlightenment was fuelled by the Scientific Revolution. Scientific discoveries were the catalyst to the radical thinking in various fields. The knowledge and thoughts were largely expanded during this time. There were different approaches in different fields, in different countries. For instance, John Locke from England sharply differed from Hume from Scotland. Therefore, it is difficult to talk about European Enlightenment as a whole, but as an event that occurred in different countries at around the same time.
Question 2
The enlightenment age was critical in that it generated some philosophies that are use until date. For instance, Thomas Hobbes wrote the Leviathan in 1652, in which he took a sociological perspective and developed the idea of a social contract. In France Montesquieu handled politics, inspired by Locke, and developed the concept of separation of powers, while Voltaire was more cautious, taking on satirical approach to instigate social and political change. Women also played a huge role in this period. Some of them would participate in discussions in the salons and coffee houses. The women in the salons ensured that decency was upheld and maintained in the salons and that politeness and etiquette was observed. Therefore, their presence guaranteed civilization during the sometimes-heated debates and discussions. This was the same case in the debating societies. Women were also involved in publishing; however, they needed the consent of their husbands in order to active in that domain.