Enlightenment Ideas and Their Influence

The Enlightenment Era

The Enlightenment was a period of profound intellectual and cultural change in Western philosophy. It represented a state of having knowledge and understanding, initiating significant social, technical, economic, and political progress that shaped modern society.

Principal Enlightenment Ideas

• Natural Equality and Liberty: The belief that all individuals are born equal, meaning no one inherently possesses privileges or rights over another.
• Social Contract
• Natural Sovereignty
• Separation of Powers
• Deism, Tolerance, Liberty, and Progress:
  • Deism: The belief in a supreme being who created the universe, discoverable through reason and observation of the natural world alone, without faith or organized religion.
  • Tolerance, Liberty, Progress: Core values emphasizing freedom of thought and belief, individual rights, and societal advancement.
• Encyclopedia and Education: The effort to compile human knowledge (like the Encyclopédie) and promote widespread education as means of progress.

Impact on Society and Revolutions

These ideas had a deep impact on society during a critical period marked by economic and political crises. They served as the foundational basis for numerous revolutions across the world, particularly in Europe, during the following century. Notable examples include:

• The Spanish Revolution
• The Portuguese Revolution
• The Italian Revolutions (Naples and Piedmont)
• The Russian Empire Revolution

Key Concepts Defined

Natural Law

A system of law whose content is determined by nature and thus has universal validity. Natural law is contrasted with positive law (man-made law) and serves as a standard for criticizing existing legal systems.

Invisible Hand

A term used by economists, notably Adam Smith, to describe the self-regulating nature of the marketplace. Smith argued that the forces of self-interest, competition, and supply and demand, acting together, could efficiently allocate resources in society. This concept is a founding justification for the laissez-faire economic philosophy, which advocates for minimal state intervention in the economy.