The Enlightenment: Intellectual Foundations of the 18th Century

The 18th Century: A Revolution of Thought

Agricultural and Demographic Shifts

The 18th century witnessed a significant agricultural revolution in Britain and France. Europe experienced a period of relative peace, fostering economic growth and the emergence of theories regarding supply, demand, and the natural laws governing human behavior.

Social Structure and Political Power

During this era, the nobility and senior clergy held a monopoly over the state, the church, and the military. Absolute monarchies remained the dominant political system, characterized by:

• The absence of constitutional laws.
• Heavy taxation on the common people.
• The decline of religious wars.
• The diminishing influence of the Papacy, with the church increasingly subject to monarchical authority.

The Century of Lights

The 18th century is known as the Century of Lights. Philosophers championed reason and science to illuminate the human condition. They exercised universal criticism against established social orders and superstitions, firmly believing in human progress through the development of reason. This period saw the rise of encyclopedias and dictionaries, though their impact in Spain was limited.

Philosophical Origins and Influence

The Enlightenment was deeply influenced by English empiricists and the scientific advancements of Isaac Newton. Key developments included:

Deism and Natural Religion

Deism emerged as an attempt to create a religion based on reason rather than dogma. British moralists sought to ground morality in human psychology rather than theology.

The French Enlightenment

French thinkers drew heavily from the British political and social model. Voltaire, a key figure, popularized the ideas of Locke and Newton. While a deist, he famously remarked: "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him; for all nature cries that He exists."

Materialism and Ethics

Building on modern science, French philosophers developed a materialist conception of humanity. They justified moral behavior through the pursuit of happiness, effectively separating ethics from religion and utilizing the concept of nature to discover the inherent laws of morality.