The Enlightenment: A Revolution in Thought

Nature's Influence

Enlightenment philosophy found nature central to all its ideas, not just in science, but also in morality, politics, and education. Values were taught through nature, as it was considered self-sufficient, eliminating the need for the supernatural. Everything was naturalized, distancing religion. The Enlightenment discovered reality through nature, approaching it scientifically through natural history. Science, configured from nature, became the tool to interpret the world.

Secularized Culture

Religion's role as the source of values was displaced. Autonomous consciousness emerged, demanding rights, leading to secularization in all aspects of life: economic, political, scientific, and even religious education. This critical situation led not to atheism, but to deism, which proposed a supreme being who rarely intervenes, explaining the universe's origin and providing criteria for social control.

Metaphysics Redefined

The Enlightenment favored understandable philosophy, rejecting traditional metaphysics' abstract and theoretical positions. They criticized its grandiose jargon and lack of true discovery. The Enlightenment proposed a view from nature itself, considering the enigma of the people unknowable by human reason.

Human Being and Education

The Enlightenment and education are inseparable. The Enlightenment spread education, with figures like Ortega defending the 18th century as the century of education. The encyclopedia became a key tool. While earlier thinkers saw education as for the elite minority, the Enlightenment sought to expand it, challenging the notion of innate ideas and advocating for universal education. This education aimed to improve the human being intellectually and morally, leading to emancipation and the creation of a new human. Education's goal was to train good citizens, fostering political virtue by prioritizing common interest over individual interest. Education, starting from childhood, prepared individuals for a rational and scientific life in civilization. This rational view wasn't just religious; it required moral autonomy. Man is worthy and great when his actions align with his inner self.

History and the Idea of Progress

The Enlightenment proposed a new historical perspective, moving away from the theological view of God's presence in history, which led to legends and superstitions. They advocated for a critical approach, substantiating historical events with facts and exploring their causes. Enlightened thinkers were optimistic about nature and history, conceiving them as unified.