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Enlightenment Era

MDH

Dr. S

Hum-220

12 Feb 09

Enlightenment

The Middle Ages or Renaissance was a period of time when society was governed by theocracies and autocracies. These were the primary forms of rule, and medieval kings were supported by the doctrine of the divine rights of kings. These forms of government restricted individual rights and restrained civil liberties.
Prior to the Enlightenment, most people relied on the Catholic Church for answers and guidance. People were forced to adhere to church doctrine in all aspects of their lives. The church’s power was absolute, and anyone who dared to defy it’s teaching was subject to imprisonment or death as a heretic. The Enlightenment was the period during which freethinking and the expression of alternative ideas to those of the establishment took root. The church was soon to be undermined in its view of the modern world by many philosophers, scientists and intellectuals of the Enlightenment era. One of the earliest examples of the church’s authority being undermined can be found in the work of Nicolaus Copernicus. He openly declares in his heliocentric view of the solar system that the sun is at the center and the earth orbits around it. This idea caused much controversy between the church and the scientists who were actively discrediting long held beliefs. Scientists were labeled heretics and such ideas were at the heart of what is known as the Enlightenment era.
Philosophers, intellectuals and scientists alike started looking at all aspects of life differently. They began to question their surroundings using logic, reason, common sense, and observation to find answers about the world around them and how it operated. These philosophical thinkers had many of the same values at heart, and were considered radical by their contemporaries as they searched for answers. They were the leaders in the movement of change and reform, as they possessed a thirst for knowledge that was insatiable. Their...