Enlightenment

Most historical events and philosophies, if not all, deviate from a clear dichotomous separation between good and bad, and offer unique underlying perspectives, such as with the Enlightenment project of the eighteenth century. The Enlightenment project was a rather ambitious initiative, as it strove to radically alter the long ingrained philosophies of society. Through the work of Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Immanuel Kant, and Voltaire, the ideas of equality, liberty, reason, and constant progress were consistently emphasized to support practices of industrialization, constitutionalism, and religious tolerance. One of the largest ideological shifts encouraged by the Enlightenment was that from reliance in solely religious beliefs for truths to one that separated religion from the government and used both scientific and moral reasoning to make decisions for the overarching public good. Ultimately, the Enlightenment project aimed to introduce the notion of thinking for oneself and having the courage and intellect to be able to decide what is best for oneself and one’s community. Many Enlightenment leaders believed that this self-realization and fundamental concept of self-worth would drive individuals to understand that the government got its power from its people and that accordingly, it must serve to fulfill the needs its people express; in the case it didn’t do so, they would understand that the people have the right to stand up for their beliefs. While this Enlightenment project of the eighteenth century was not utterly successful in achieving its goals, many events and outcomes of the twentieth century depicted a successful integration of Enlightenment ideals and a fundamental ideological shift.

In the early 1900s, an enlightened need for continuous progress and improvement spurred a technological revolution to best advance exploration and communication practices. In a society that optimistically sought rapid industrialization after the Enlightenment project, it became of the utmost importance to place one’s faith in technology for both growth and opportunity. This socially rooted desire for progress resulted in the development of many new forms of technology in the twentieth century, some of which include automobiles, telephones, incandescent light bulbs, steam turbines, and even airplanes. The Enlightenment project also gave a voice to new scientific and philosophical ideas, which resulted in more expression of both needs and ideas, consequently increasing technological output. Leading scientists and innovators of the time reinforced this ideology, like when Orville and Wilbur Wright mentioned, “if we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance.” On the other hand, prior to the integration of Enlightenment ideals in society, scientists like Galileo Galilei found that members of society refused to allow eccentric ideas to be shared and rather chose to “[remain] hostile not so much [even] toward the things in question as toward their discoverer.” The differences in beliefs between the two time periods epitomize the shift in ideology that had taken place since the Enlightenment project and how ideals of growth and creativity then outweighed religious doctrines that were for so longed simply accepted as the truth. While there were labor issues as a result of rapid industrialization and weapons of destruction being developed for war, the integral role of the other technologies developed then in helping progress our societies is undeniable even today. Like Alexander Graham Bell said, “you cannot force ideas. Successful ideas are the result of slow growth,” and this gradual acceptance of Enlightenment ideals is precisely what we observed through the technological revolution of the twentieth century.

Apart from that, despite the Enlightenment project failing to abolish gender conformity entirely in the eighteenth century, it also introduced the idea of equality and encouraged reasoning in decision-making which successfully set the scene for the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Denis Diderot, who was a prominent French philosopher of the Enlightenment age, shared, “Freedom is a gift from heaven, and every individual of the same species has the right to enjoy it as soon as he is in enjoyment of his reason.’ Like Diderot, many Enlightenment thinkers of the 1700s, of whom the majority were men, proposed ‘classical liberalism’ and the notion of suffrage and “unalienable rights” for all men, selectively disregarding women in those discussions. Accordingly, throughout the 1700s and most of the 1800s, traditional gender roles and inequalities based in sexuality were very prevalent. Yet, the discussions of Enlightenment ideals alone began to encourage women to explore self-awareness and helped them realize that they too had the right to certain foundational freedoms. For years, rights that were supposedly unattainable for women given the ingrained role of religion, were soon within reach as without an emphasis on religious doctrines, it then required very little logic to propose that women should also be considered in context of Enlightenment principles.

With a clear shift in the attitudes of women regarding their own rights, women used Enlightenment ideas to enhance their intellect and drive their movement. An example of this is author Mary Wollstonecraft, who wrote extensively about women’s rights during the eighteenth century and is most well known for her book Vindication of the Rights of Woman. In it, Wollstonecraft specifically states, “there must be more equality established in society, or morality will never gain ground, and this virtuous equality will not rest firmly even when founded on a rock, if one half of mankind be chained to its bottom by fate.” In the entirety of the text, she emphasizes a need to revolutionize the expected mannerisms of women on the basis of logic, education, and simply morality which were heavily enforced by the Enlightenment project. Thereafter, famous women’s rights leaders of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, referred extensively to her work. Anthony even wrote a dedication to Wollstonecraft and acknowledged her as the “founding mother and philosopher of the women’s rights movement,” thereby reinforcing her support of Wollstonecraft’s enlightened ideas and her personal willingness to carry those forward. In her 1906 speech, Anthony again shared that Wollstonecraft was “a great woman with eloquent and unanswerable arguments on behalf of the liberty of womankind.” Ultimately, through women’s continued push for equality, the nineteenth amendment was successfully passed and all American women were granted the right to vote. While certain gender-based inequalities continue to persist in facets of our lives, the accomplishments of Women’s Rights Movements of the twentieth century are clearly rooted in women’s developed ability to think for themselves and to logically advocate for impartial equality, both of which are philosophies deeply entrenched in Enlightenment ideals.

Additionally, although certain Enlightenment principles supported industrialization practices that led to class conflicts, Enlightenment ideals also encouraged self-awareness and liberty which helped inspire the labor unions of the twentieth century. During the Enlightenment project itself, famous Enlightenment thinker John Locke emphasized the need for our society to realize that “the labour of his body, and the work of his hands, we may say, are properly his.” Many other Enlightenment thinkers also drew attention to this concept of individualism and “power to the people”, under which workers of all kinds realize that they are granted certain uninfringeable rights that must not be taken away from them. The Enlightenment ideals ultimately helped the workers see their self-worth and ask for their rights on the basis of reasoned logic rather than submit themselves to political authorities. This ideology is finally reflected in the twentieth century with powerful labor movements that urged for higher wages, shorter hours, and safer working conditions for all workers. Specifically, Samuel Gompers, founder of the American Federation of Labor and a key labor union leader in the early 1900s, said, “to be free, the workers must have choice. To have choice they must retain in their own hands the right to determine under what conditions they will work.” The spread of such Enlightenment ideals led to an increase in labor union participation nationally, which ultimately resulted in the passing of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. This law provided all workers with the right to a minimum wage and overtime pay, while also outlawing child labor. Therefore, principles of the Enlightenment project successfully manifested themselves as the fundamental inspiration behind many twentieth century workers’ fights for their rights.

Enlightenment ideals also emphasized liberty and equality which led to the first abolitionist movements of the 1900s and made thinkable the freeing of all slaves under the notion of universal morality. Many Enlightenment principles are strongly reflected in our country’s founding documents, including both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution which were heavily referred to in the Civil Rights Movement by various leaders. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. stated in his ‘I have a Dream’ speech, “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence…this note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the ‘unalienable rights’ of ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’.” King’s reference to works that were written by many prominent Enlightenment thinkers, who were also our founding fathers, conveys a direct application of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment principles even in the twentieth century social movement. It also indicates that while the Enlightenment thinkers of the eighteenth century may not have been enlightened enough themselves given their rooted slaveholding tendencies, their intellect based reasoning and philosophy of equality sparked the self.

They have access to large listening libraries, state-of-the-art recording studios, Instrumental combos, and regular master classes given by a variety of highly successful, working Jazz musicians. Graduates find work In a variety of settings as arrangers, ensemble directors, vocal coaches, recording engineers and producers, jingle singers, jazz artists, educators, theme-park and cruise-line entertainers, contemporary Christian singers, pop/rock singers, cabaret and club performers, back- p singers, and even arts administrators and managers.

I thought about attending my first concert as an audience member, as I watched choir members Join their ranks. I was not sure what my reaction would be. Would I feel moved by the music? Would it put me in that fantastic trance of both energy and peace? As I watched the choir file on stage as part of their Vocal Jazz Ensemble Concert, I noticed many new faces mixed In with the familiar. I thought fondly back to my first weeks in the church choir as I was growing up. The music began before I knew If I was ready.

After Just a few notes, though, I began to relax. I was still In the sanctuary. The experience was different. My nerves were running high, but the music still took me n TTS nana, Ana gently lea me to Tanat place AT Inner peace. Can song was an exploration of different texture and flavor of music. The music was introspective and thought provoking, bold and inspiring. Most importantly, the music was an escape. Music creates a wall of protection from those concerns. That is its power.

I Joyously left the peaceful sanctuary so beautifully created by the choir on Friday night. Yet, I continue to hold that reminder of God’s presence in my heart. It’s a place I can go to when I need strength or peace. The music continues to live through this choir, and I know that their witness has inspired me. It is my hope and prayer that everyone who is a part of this wonderful process-director, choir members, and audience alike-will continue to carry this purpose and message with them. “The music lives! ” Praise the LORD! [pick]

Enlightenment vs. Romanticism The enlightenment was an 18th century movement that emphasized reason to change society and advance knowledge. The enlightenment changed how people all over Europe, and later North America, thought about religion, hierarchy, monarchy, and science. People began to question the church and there was a loss of unity in the Christian church. It was a time in which people began to think more about themselves without the influence of the government and their church. The enlightenment brought an age of rational, scientific and secular thinking. The

Enlightenment resulted in greater freedom and more humane treatment for all individuals as well as the scientific process. Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in late 18th century. It emphasized on individual’s expression of emotions and imagination. Some people see it as the opening to modernity and others see it as the as the beginning of a tradition of resistance to the enlightenment. I see Romanticism as the new movement for cultural and aesthetic values and the rise of individualism. The way I understand it, enlightenment is more about basic morality and knowledge.

Romanticism is more self-oriented, more about self-discovery. If I had to choose to which side I favor the most I’d go with the enlightenment because I believe more about that man are created equal and that education is important. However I can also favor romanticism because I believe every individual deserves freedom but also need to follow the rules so that we can be an orderly society. Hollywood Censored During the sass to sass moral censorship guidelines were established for many films produced by major studios in the United States.

During the early sass there ere numerous of films that were morally questionable because they contained hardcore words, mature subject, and sexually suggestive dialogue. This lead to the creation of the motion picture production code, which established a series of restrictions to the production of films in the US. The church had to get involved on this subject because they were scared that their people would be morally hit. They turned in a list of the things that had to be restricted in the studios. Many of the restrictions were implemented because the studios didn’t want the government to intervene.

Many films even promoted traditional values that crime and sexual elation’s were not attractive. Films showed that crimes had to be punished. Like in the movie surface the producers had to change the ending multiple times, the character was brought into trial at last. The studios worked under code for several decades until the sass when explicit films started appearing again and then in 1968 the code was dismissed and a new way of classifying films was established such as G for general, M for mature, and so on. I believe that the code was a good way to minimize crime because I think violent movies do a commit crimes. T us and make individual

Conor Brown Western Civ. 9/17/11 Candide: A Reflection Harsh criticism abounds in the enlightened satire Candide by Voltaire. The author constantly goes against the popular flow and challenges the status quo of the Enlightenment. Nothing is off limits for Voltaire and topics stretch from love, class, warfare and even religion. In the ever-changing society of the Enlightened period many just believed in the teachings of the supposed leading philosophers of the time, but Voltaire challenged these ideas and brought about new and what he believed were logical ways of thinking.

Even though the Enlightenment is constantly satirized in the book it is in its self a work of the Enlightenment. Which is very ironic but true nonetheless. However, through these harsh criticisms Voltaire presents his work in an extremely humorous and approachable way. Perhaps the best example of how the Enlightenment is satirized is Voltaire’s view of optimism. One of the movements most regarded philosophers was Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. He founded this idea of supreme optimism. His theory was that since God is a benevolent deity all is good in the world no matter what happens.

In other words everything happens for a reason, but that reason is always a good one. Voltaire saw it otherwise and gave multiple examples to back his defense. The first example revolves around Candide’s teacher Pangloss who is a supreme believer in the optimistic teachings of Leibniz. Pangloss had gone missing for a while but Candide soon finds him as a beggar with many sores all over his body. Pangloss explains that he had contracted syphilis from a servant in the Baron’s mansion. Now, usually any terrible disease is a bad thing but in Pangloss’ mind it is a good thing.

He explains to Candide that syphilis comes from Columbus’ discovery of the New World and says that without it Europe would have never been able to benefit from the new discoveries made there. For example without syphilis the Europeans would have never had the privilege of enjoining chocolate. That definitely seems extremely far-fetched that in order for someone to enjoying chocolate millions needed to suffer from syphilis. Voltaire’s satirizing is clearly evident in this example. Another example of optimism is the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.

This was one of the worst tragedies of the time and over 30,000 people were killed during it. Even Jacques, a faithful friend to Candide, dies drowning while trying to save a bad sailor. How the heck could this be thought as a good thing? Well Pangloss reveals that it is for the best because the Lisbon harbor was constructed in order for Jacques to die and even though the harbor and thousands or people suffered it was completely necessary. This is totally ridiculous and not realistic. These exaggerations of optimism are meant to be unrealistic simply to bring about how flawed Voltaire sees the views are.

Personally to me optimism is a good trait to have in certain situations. When 30,000 thousand people must suffer or millions must contact syphilis in order to get a piece of chocolate optimism does not seem like a logical term. Optimism is good to help people get through tough times but it should not be the sole reason for why things occur. I do believe that everything does happen for a reason but I also believe that not everything occurs for a good reason. Sometimes things just happen because that is what God intended but it will not always lead to something good.

The Enlightened leaders did present some good ideas in optimism beliefs but they were not all true. There are quite a few elements in Candide that show Voltaire’s criticism on society. Class and order is visited frequently through out the book. There is this belief of how class and order are the only things that matter in life and that’s how one can get far in life. Frequently individuals and families in seats of authority abuse their power by hurting and mistreating servants and slaves. Voltaire presents these characters as ruthless idiots who care nothing about the subjects they rule over but only look out for themselves.

At this time in history the servant and master relationship was still alive and well. Voltaire criticizes this view by showing how corrupt and distraught this system really is. Voltaire harshly criticizes warfare. Candide shows us how he hates warfare and believes it to be futile and wasteful. He is forced into the army and is beaten for reasons he cannot explain. Women are also raped and beaten badly. Candide finds all of this so bad that he escapes from the army. Voltaire is providing an anti-war view that seems very logical.

Excess war is not good and most times war is not good because of how people go about it. Voltaire has very strong beliefs concerning this and he shows it through his character Candide. Voltaire also criticizes religion quite often. Whether it is by mocking a faith or showing the true side of an accepted belief. When Candide enters Holland and refuses to call the Pope the antichrist a group of Protestants calls him a heretic and pours waste on him. An Anabaptist named Jacques comes over and helps Candide by cleaning him and giving him some food.

The Anabaptist helps again by trying to save a sailor who has fallen off the ship during the earthquake. Jacques’ only reward for helping others is his own death by drowning. Voltaire shows how society hates a man just because his religion is different even when the man is nothing but good to others. The Protestants are accepted by society even though they are frequently mean and intolerant of others religious beliefs. A harsh but true criticism is explored here. Several punches are thrown at Catholicism throughout the book.

The clergy of the Church especially gets the worst of it. When in Lisbon an old woman takes care of Candide after he is flogged. They share stories and she casually states how she is the daughter of Pope Urban X and the Princess of Palestrina. The supposed corruption of the Catholic Church was revealed here in order to show how the Catholics were being ruled by a liar who was suppose to be celibate. A serious problem for a religion considering their leader is a fraud. Society is asked how can you truly believe in your religion when your leader does not even believe?

Another huge criticism of religion and society in general is when Candide visits the mythical city of El Dorado. Voltaire paints this utopian society that criticizes the modern day beliefs of religion and tries to show the ideal religion in El Dorado. Here is a place where they believe that God has created everything and simply then left it alone, providing a Deist approach. The real kicker that Voltaire throws in is how the inhabitants of El Dorado constantly thank God but they do not attend mass and there are even no priests.

Voltaire believes that priests are unnecessary and often get in the way and a much simpler approach to religion should be thought of in Europe. Even in this paradise of great religion Candide leaves to find his love and become happier. Which shows that Voltaire believes that society is never completely happy and always wants more even when they are in paradise. Candide has many humorous moments through out but some of my favorite revolve around the over exaggerations in order to criticize. Each approach to optimism is funny because of how wildly outrageous it is.

The fact that someone could believe that syphilis was a good thing because it brought about chocolate or that 30,000 people dying was necessary are so outrageous that it is hard not to chuckle even just the slightest. I also find the names of all the things very humorous. The term metaphysico-theologico-cosmoloonigology is very funny and also pokes fun at how the philosophers of the time considered themselves to be very sophisticated and extreme intellectuals. The name of the area where Candide is from, Thunder-Ten-Tronckh, is also quite humorous and might be used to show how the Baron thought he was extremely powerful.

The humor provided a very approachable way to talking about very touchy topics at the time while still stating Voltaire’s mind as well as making fun of people along the way. Regardless of Voltaire making fun of the ideals of the Enlightened period, Candide is still a book of Enlightened values. The Age of Enlightenment is also often referred to as the Age of Reason. The philosophers and intellectuals of the time were just simply trying to give reasonable explanations to numerous topics and mysteries. In reality that is all Voltaire was trying to do as well.

He was providing a critique to the intellectual beliefs and reasons and he himself was providing his own reasoning through this book. By showing his own paradise and criticizing the religion of the time he was trying to provide a reasonable approach to society’s view on religious beliefs. He was also reasonable explaining how ridiculous the idea of optimism really was. Voltaire was of the Enlightened age and he himself was trying to reason. Sure he did it through some bold and unorthodox ways but all he was trying to do was enlighten the reader and explain how he viewed the great mysteries and beliefs of the world.

The history of wars and revolution is flooded with personalities with almost mythical qualities. The heroes of wars and revolutions declared new social orders based on the principles of justice and public service. These individuals, after their assumption to power and material wealth, declared the supremacy of their respective cultures. In history, this happened many times, as in the case of the Athenian and Roman Empires, the Napoleonic Era, the Holy Roman Empire, and many others. Yet, out of these wars and revolutions, ideologies developed. These ideologies usually offered alternative ways of life, that is, new philosophies for managing civilizations.

However, some ideologies became the background for advancing rationalism and progress. Out of revolutions at the latter part of the 18th century, a general atmosphere of Enlightenment clouded the countries of Europe. This ideology declared the innate greatness of man, his love for liberalism, and his drive towards order and self-regulation. The Enlightenment proposed the idea that man, given his limitations and tendencies to innovate, can achieve freedom by imputing liberal values both in the state and the society. This can be done in two ways. An individual, in association with other individuals can establish a government that promotes liberal ideas. If the state is unresponsive to the waves of liberalism or obstructs its growth, then the only answer is revolution. Here, the term “revolution” acquires a positive character.

Although the new ideology was borne out of the French Revolution, it was eventually accepted by European monarchs as an alternative way of dealing with their liberal subjects. They saw the Enlightenment as vital to the survival of European civilization and advancement of science and technology. A civilized way of life can only be maintained so long as the “spirit of times” matches the needs of the populations. As one will see later, the values advanced by the Enlightenment were threatened by the wars and revolutions of the 20th century.

Because Freud saw man as anti-social and anti-cultural, he assumed that civilization was the product of struggle between the libidinal instinct and social mechanisms for controlling behavior. In history, according to him, some individuals were able to subdue their “feeling of obedience to social mores” to aggression. Genghis Khan, Emperor Neo, Attila the Hun, and many others were revealed as savage beasts to whom “the thought of sparing their own kind as alien” (Freud, 1930/1989:54).

Freud saw aggression then as the real threat to civilization, all the more that aggression is present in all individuals. The society then is forced to use violent means to curb the threat; a form of violent reprisal of a violent tendency. Every institution in the society are called to reinforce the values of humanity, or more specifically of civilization (the values of liberalism and rationalism). This struggle between the two tendencies only increases the propensity of a bloody end. The values of civilization to which societies were built would be compromised to suit the demands of the “outlaw.”

“Civilization expects to prevent the worst atrocities of brutal violence by taking upon itself the right to employ violence against criminals, but the law is not able to lay hands on the more discreet and subtle forms in which human aggressions are ex- pressed.

The time comes when every one of us has to abandon the illusory anticipations with which in our youth we regarded our fellow-men, and when we realize how much hardship and suffering we have been caused in life through their ill-will. It would be unfair, however, to reproach culture with trying to eliminate all disputes and competition from human concerns. These things are undoubtedly indispensable; but opposition is not necessarily enmity, only it may be misused to make an opening for it” (Freud, 1930/1989:61). Heart of Darkness is a literary piece showing the conflict between two civilizations or more accurately two competing ideologies. The struggle between these two ideologies results to bloodshed and animosity among men; a sort of social anomie Durkheim referred to as the deterioration of social norms.

In Chapter III of the book, Conrad showed that men are induced to violence when demands and priorities conflict. The main character of the story, Kurtz, found his way in conflict with the natives and the ship’s manager over the value of the ivory tusks.

“The manager enters the cabin to speak with Kurtz, and Marlow withdraws to the steamer’s deck. From here he sees two natives standing near the river with impressive headdresses and spears, and a beautiful native woman draped in ornaments pacing gracefully along the shore. She stops and stares out at the steamer for a while and then moves away into the forest. Marlow notes that she must be wearing several elephant tusks’ worth of ornaments.

The Russian implies that she is Kurtz’s mistress, and states that she has caused him trouble through her influence over Kurtz. He adds that he would have tried to shoot her if she had tried to come aboard. The trader’s comments are interrupted by the sound of Kurtz yelling at the manager inside the cabin. Kurtz accuses the men of coming for the ivory rather than to help him, and he threatens the manager for interfering with his plans” (Conrad, 1971:27).

Other Europeans though were eager to compete against Kurtz in acquiring ivory tusks from the natives. Thus, Marlow (a character in the story) and a Russian trader ended up aligning with Kurtz against their competitors.

Philosophically speaking, the story presented the staggering change of heart of Marlow. Instead of presenting himself as a man of humility, he was forced to redefine his values (Enlightenment values). He suddenly became obsessed of acquiring more and more wealth. He loathed the Africans for their irrationality and savagery. He accused the Europeans of exploiting the natives while he himself indulged in every form of luxury. In the end, he became violent and indignant to the basic principles of civilization; the same thing Sigmund Freud said (although the manner Freud assumed it was academic). Borowitz thesis can be summed up as follows: violence can be magnified using fear as the catalyst (Borowitz, 1976). In this book, the author portrayed the brutal murder of the Jews during the Second World War, specifically during Hitler’s Final Solution to the Jewish Question.

Freud, Conrad, and Borowitz are basically examining the basic urge in man: violence. Violence can destroy values which have been cherished since the birth of a powerful ideology. Only the methods of telling the message differed. Freud approach was academic, that of Conrad literary, that of Borowitz historical.

References

1. Borowitz, Thadeus. 1976. This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentleman. New York: Penguin Books.
2. Conrad, Joseph. 1971. Heart of Darkness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
3. Freud, Sigmund. 1930/1989. Civilization and Its Discontents. W. Norton & Company; Reissue edition.