Age of Reason Essay example - 1161 Words

An Age of Reason â€Å"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.† This brief quotation was spoken by the famous writer and philosopher Voltaire; I believe it vaguely points out that some people are full of absurd ideas, and for others to follow such nonsense is foolish. The quote is just a taste of Voltaire’s wisdom and knowledge of the world, during the Age of Reason. The Age of Reason or The Enlightenment is defined as a change in not just a way of thinking, but an establishment of values and rational actions. â€Å"Based on Immanuel Kant’s essay â€Å"What is Enlightenment?† it is the freedom to use ones own intelligence (Strathern 63). Enlightenment thinkers believed in the powers of humankind and saw†¦show more content†¦According to WA State University Paul Brians, Voltaire was struggling to assert the values of freedom and tolerance in a culture where the twin fortresses of monarchy and Church opposed almost everything the y stood for† (Para 10). Voltaire spent a great deal of time focusing on an attack The Church, because to speak out against the monarchy would almost certainly mean death. â€Å"Voltaire could skillfully cite one Christian against another to make his arguments†¦One way to undermine the power of the Church was to undermine its credibility, so Voltaire attacked the fundamentals of Christian belief: the inspiration of the Bible, the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ, and the damnation of unbelievers† (Brians 10). A great example of his attack and strong beliefs would be in his work, â€Å"Dictionnaire Philosophique† in this work Voltaire primarily focuses on the injustice of the Catholic Church. In my opinion, Voltaire’s hope of the world was for man to be unshackled from the chains that bind humanity in a pit of ignorance, and I believe that one of the shackles is the Catholic Church. The Churches power throughout history has kept the common man brainl ess and Voltaire recognized this; so he sought to fight with words the right for man to say or do what he wants. An example, of his religious views is his well known work, â€Å"L’Ingenu†. All though I think of Voltaire as an optimist in his own way, John Gray concludes from Voltaire’s magnificent writing, andShow MoreRelatedThe Age Of Reason Essay1455 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Cathy Bui Professor Nengo Anthropology March 10 2015 Age of Reason Essay In the book The Age Of Reason by Thomas Paine is about the knowledge of inquiring religious establishments and their own doctrines. He wants the audience to think about the common gumptions that can be seen and describe as a substantiation of a god, for instance from Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. He calls for higher reasoning, a person who rejects the scriptures in the bibles that says we are pretending to use the wordsRead MoreThe Age of Reason and Revolution Essay810 Words   |  4 PagesThe Age of Reason and Revolution Many individuals that lived in the period of time known as the Age of Reason, discovered many new inventions and advancements to improve the quality of life. Some of these advantages brought fourth new ideas to extraordinary people who forever changed the way we look at life. Although many people found these discoveries to bring great revival to mankind, others rejected these new improvements and felt as if they were defying god. TheseRead MorePaine s The Age Of Reason1192 Words   |  5 PagesPaine s American Pamphlet (to be independent from England - 1776) 48 pages in duration Thomas Paine (1737 - 1809) Anglo-American political activist / philosopher. Author of The Age of Reason. - - - Common Sense was an addressing for the America people, I doubt Thomas Paine intended the book to go beyond print and into the realm of digital media eight years ago. Now America again is about to elect another commander and chief on November 8th, I felt it was time to reinstate the words ofRead MoreThomas Paine s The Age Of Reason1666 Words   |  7 PagesIn this contemporary era more people do not identify with God and in turn have become more skeptical of God. This shift can be seen in Thomas Paine’s The Age of Reason; which is an excellent example of deism. Paine spares no detail on why he does not believe in the Bible and why he does not believe God is continually working in the world. Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, A Divine and Supernatural Light, on the other hand, adamantly believes in the Bible and that God is actively present in the world. Edwards’sRead MoreEssay on Analysis of The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine683 Words   |  3 PagesThroughout â€Å"T he Age of Reason,† Thomas Paine gives several examples for why he is opposed to Christianity. Before I began reading this essay, I was absolutely positive that I was going to disagree with every point that Paine had to make and every opinion that he expressed. It did not take long for me to realize that I had made the wrong assumption. There was more than one occasion while reading â€Å"The Age of Reason† that I discovered I actually agreed with Paines opinion/belief. This encouraged meRead MoreThe Age of Reason1424 Words   |  6 Pagesparticipated and had an affect in The Age of Reason. OUTLINE I. David Hume A. Contributions to the Age of Reason B. Who and what influenced him II. Jean Jacques Rousseau A. What he believed in B. Who influenced him III. Claude Adrien Helvetius A. Influences B. Reasons for contribution IV. Immanuel Kant A. How he made a difference B. Why he made a difference C. What caused him to make a difference V. Johann Fichte A. Influences B. Reasons for contribution VI. Johann vonRead More Age Of Reason Essay988 Words   |  4 Pagesas the Age of Reason discovered many knew inventions and advancements to improve the quality of life. When experimented with, these advantages brought forth knew ideas to extraordinary people who forever changed the way we look at life. Although many people found these discoveries to bring a great revival to mankind, others rejected these new improvements and felt as if they were defying god. These years were full of discoveries, conflicts, and new visions that of the world. The age of reason broughtRead MoreThe American Enlightenment Philosophy784 Words   |  3 Pageslatter parts of the 19th century. This was the same era in which the America gained independence and the nation was developing as a cohesive unit. It was on the rise and the people wanted to leave a mark o the international scene. Just like we saw an Age of Enlightenment in the European areas almost a 100 years back the same pattern was being follow ed and exhibited by the people in this region. Since the major contingency of the people who had settled in the United States were the descendants and theRead MoreRomanticism : The Age Of Reason1210 Words   |  5 Pagesimagination and intuition rather than emphasizing on reason and logic. There are no restraints or order in Romanticism; complete spontaneous actions are welcome in this style of writing. Romanticism, or also known as the â€Å"The Romantic Period†, refers to the cultural movements that occurred in England, Europe, and America from 1770 to the 1860s. In this literary period, romantic writers saw themselves revolting against another period called the â€Å"Age of Reason† which began in the 1700s and ended in 1770.Read MoreThomas Paine: Not Who We Think He Is729 Words   |  3 PagesThomas Paine was an incredibly inspirational American author from the Revolution era. He was a big reason for our troops being motivated enough to continue the fight, even during the winter at Valley Forge, when things were looking their bleakest. However, he wasn’t simply a snooty, bookish man that could handle his pen. Tat image of him we are fed is grossly wrong. Rather, Thomas Paine was a poor man that couldn’t stay in school or make corsets. According to one of his superiors, the man couldn’t