A 200-300 word perspective essay discussing how you could apply the ability to find, identify, and evaluate

2

Age of Reason

Age of Reason

Natasha Pemberton

Columbia Southern University

Bodrogean, A. (2013). Enlightenment Ideas Reflected in the English Literature of the Time. The Scientific Journal of Humanistic Studies, 5(9), 64-65.

The Age of Enlightenment (or simply the Enlightenment or Age of Reason) was a cultural movement of intellectuals beginning in the late 17th and 18th century Europe emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013). Its purpose was to reform society using reason, challenge ideas grounded in tradition and faith, and advance knowledge through the scientific method. It promoted scientific thought, skepticism, and intellectual interchange (Alan Charles Kors, 2003: 53). It opposed superstition and intolerance, with the Catholic Church as a favorite target. Some Enlightenment philosophers collaborated with enlightened despots, who were absolute rulers who tried out some of the new governmental ideas in practice. The ideas of the Enlightenment have had a long-term major impact on the culture, politics, and governments of the Western world.

Enlightenment - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/enlightenment.

The period spanning from 1685 to 1815 is recognized as being the “Age of Reason”. Prior to the age of reason there were an abundance of myths that people believed to be true. Myths like the world is flat was a wide spread myth, but not supported by scientific fact. This important phase in western civilization paved the way for great thinkers whose discoveries are even prevalent today.

Gleiser, M. (2014, July 16). What The World Needs Now Is A New Enlightenment [Audio

podcast].

In this conversation Gleiser summarizes in his opinion the purpose of the Age of Reason. His claim is that “the core message of the Enlightenment was the need to create a global civilization with shared moral values. This overarching intellectual framework was far removed from traditional religious precepts. In fact, the Enlightenment declared war on the excesses of religion and blind nationalism.” He goes on to add that the global society is in need of a revisit to the age of reason to become better citizens.

Janiak, A. (2006, October 13). Newton's Philosophy. Retrieved November 12, 2014.

There were many great philosophers during this time span, and most of them studied the others work. The entire Age of Reason is a collection of the minds, but at times these individuals disagreed. “Newton's answer to Leibniz's idea that vortices cause the planetary orbits is that gravity itself causes them, and nothing else.” This example shows that not everyone was on the same page during this time period.

Newton, I., Motte, A., In Cajori, F., & In Crawford, R. T. (1934). Sir Isaac Newton's Mathematical principles of natural philosophy and his System of the world: Translated into English by Andrew Motte in 1729. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Thought of as one of the greatest thinkers of all time, Sir Isaac Newton wrote his famous principles during the Age of Reason. In this work Newton made mathematical assertions on the laws of gravity, physics, motion which sought to explain the universe. The principia are a starting point for physicists today, to grasp the basic concepts of theory. In the second book Newton goes on to discuss Inertia and its effects on matter. These books may have not answered all of the questions that mankind toiled with during the time, but the right questions were asked in order for those that came after Newton to further hypothesize his research.