Enlightenment Assessment The Ideal Of Reason - 1270 Words

Patricia Totman Instructor: Course: Date: Enlightenment Assessment: the Ideal of Reason The greatest initial collapse of the Enlightenment ideals occurred at the beginning of the 19th century. It was associated with the realization of the limitations of the mechanical-mathematical view of the world and a number of social upheavals, including the bloody French Revolution, which gave birth to dictatorship and terror. These forced to question the possibility of a â€Å"social contract.† Moreover, the awareness of the inhumanity of the capitalist system tarnished the ideals of absolute reason and progress. Gradually, the belief in progress and the human mind gave way to pessimism. The paper will assess the rationality of Enlightenment and its perception in the modern world. Since antiquity, the philosophers embraced the view that the mind was the authority responsible for the truth and the adequate knowledge of the world. Accordingly, the quality of reason was identified with the quality of cognitive tools, which were investigated by the logic and the doctrine of method. The practical application of the mind was seen in the fact that it controlled the affects, feelings, and desires by ordering and limiting them in accordance with the proper judgments. The mind dominated the emotional-affective area representing a kind of superhuman or divine authority in a person. The relationship of the mind and affects was regarded as relations of higher and lower principles, whichShow MoreRelatedThe French Revolution And The Enlightenment1708 Words   |  7 PagesEnlightenment in Europe was a period in which ideas were legitimately from one country to another. It is also known as civilization time where traditional authority was put to the question while embracing t he notion of humanity to improve human change. 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