Age of Reason

Definition

The Age of Reason, also known as the Enlightenment, was a philosophical movement that emphasized the use of reason and individualism to challenge traditional sources of authority, such as the Church and absolute monarchies. This period saw the development of new ideas and advancements in science, philosophy, and political thought that shaped the modern world.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Age of Reason was a reaction against the religious dogmatism and absolute monarchies of the 17th and 18th centuries.
2. Key Enlightenment thinkers, such as John Locke, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, emphasized the importance of individual rights, religious tolerance, and the separation of church and state.
3. The Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and scientific inquiry led to advancements in fields like physics, astronomy, and biology, challenging traditional religious explanations of the natural world.
4. The ideas of the Enlightenment, such as the social contract and the natural rights of life, liberty, and property, were influential in the American and French Revolutions.
5. The Great Awakening, a religious revival movement in the American colonies, was in part a reaction to the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason over traditional religious authority.

Review Questions

• Explain how the Age of Reason influenced the American and French Revolutions.
  • The ideas of the Enlightenment, such as individual rights, religious tolerance, and the social contract, were central to the philosophical foundations of the American and French Revolutions. Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke and Voltaire challenged the legitimacy of absolute monarchies and the divine right of kings, which inspired revolutionaries to fight for representative government and the natural rights of life, liberty, and property. The Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and scientific inquiry also undermined traditional religious authority, contributing to the revolutions' calls for the separation of church and state.
• Describe the relationship between the Age of Reason and the Great Awakening in the American colonies.
  • The Age of Reason and the Great Awakening represented two opposing philosophical and religious movements in the American colonies during the 18th century. While the Enlightenment emphasized the use of reason and individualism, the Great Awakening was a religious revival movement that stressed the importance of emotion, personal spiritual experience, and traditional religious authority. The Great Awakening can be seen as a reaction against the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason over faith, as it sought to reinvigorate the role of religion in colonial society. This tension between the two movements highlights the broader cultural and intellectual debates that were shaping the American colonies in the lead-up to the American Revolution.
• Analyze how the Age of Reason's emphasis on reason and scientific inquiry challenged traditional religious explanations of the natural world.
  • The Age of Reason's focus on reason and empirical observation led to significant advancements in fields like physics, astronomy, and biology, which began to challenge traditional religious explanations of the natural world. Enlightenment thinkers, such as Isaac Newton and René Descartes, developed new scientific theories and methodologies that relied on experimentation and logical reasoning rather than theological dogma. This undermined the authority of the Church and traditional sources of religious knowledge, as the natural world could be increasingly understood through the lens of reason and scientific inquiry. The Enlightenment's emphasis on individualism and the rejection of absolute monarchies and religious authority also contributed to a growing skepticism towards traditional religious explanations of the world, paving the way for more secular and rational approaches to understanding the universe.

Related terms

Rationalism: The belief that reason and logic are the primary sources of knowledge, rather than empiricism or revelation.

Deism: A belief in a God who created the universe but does not intervene in its daily operations, often associated with the Enlightenment.

Empiricism: The theory that knowledge is derived from sensory experience rather than from innate ideas or deductive reasoning.