Discuss the leading figures of the Enlightenment and their
influence.
The Enlightenment or ‘Age of Reason’ was a period in the late
seventeenth century and early eighteenth century, where a group of
philosophers, scientists and thinkers advocated new ideas based on reason. This
period saw a decline in the power of absolute monarchies, a reduction in the
pre-eminence of the Church and a rise of modern political ideologies, such as
liberalism, republicanism and greater independence of thought. The Enlightenment
ideas were influential forces behind the American and French revolutions.
Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626) English philosopher,
statesman, orator and scientist. Bacon is considered the ‘father of empiricism’
for his work and advocacy of scientific method and methodical scientific
inquiry in investigating scientific phenomena. He encouraged an empirical
approach both through his own example and philosophically. A key figure in the
Scientific Revolution of the 17th Century.
Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650) Rene Descartes was a French
philosopher and mathematician. Descartes made a significant contribution to the
philosophy of rationalism. Descartes’ Meditations was ground-breaking because
he was willing to doubt previous certainties and tried to prove their validity
through logic. Later empiricists disagreed with Descartes methods, but his
philosophy opened up many topics to greater discussion. Although Descartes
‘proved’ the existence of God, his doubt was an important step in promoting
reason over faith. Descartes also made significant discoveries in analytical
geometry, calculus and mathematics.
Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) Spinoza was a Jewish-Dutch philosopher. He was an influential rationalist, who saw the underlying unity of the universe. He was critical of religious scriptures and promoted a view that the Divine was in all, and the Universe was ordered, despite its apparent contradictions.
