The Age Of Reason: An Extraordinary Period Of Enlightenment

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An Extraordinary period of Enlightenment

The Enlightenment was a period that impacted history from the time it began. The Age of Reason, as it was called, spread rapidly across Europe and effected every area of logic. The enlightenment attitude affected all people of the enlightenment, every period from the time it began, and brought in a new way of thinking. The Renaissance, an era which preceded the Enlightenment, was a cultural rebirth from the end of the medieval ages-reawakening the ideals and achievements of the Roman Empire. During this time there were many new discoveries including new continents, a new system of astronomy, and new art techniques as well as many more. Personal worth was …show more content…
The Middle Class allowed a spread of Classical ideas from the ancient Greeks and Romans. These new Middle Class-men had a different way of thinking than people in the medieval era. They began to focus more on self-improvement, education, and the world. They educated their children, and had them read the Classics. They took away the idea that man is terrible and sinful, and emphasized the idea that man was created in God’s image. This was something that mankind could be proud of. The Middle Class people also had enough money to fit their needs so they did not have to worry about when their next need could be fulfilled. They could focus on developing other ideas. These ideas were the start of the …show more content…
One of the most famous political idealist was, perhaps, John Locke. John Locke had three natural rights that he believed every human was born with: Life, Liberty, and Property. He believed that it was the government's job to help protect these basic rights of the people. He also created the social contract which states, the people can overthrow the government if they misuse their power. Another famous political personage was Voltaire. Voltaire was a French philosopher and critic. He was an instrument in promoting republican ideas because of his hatred of the French absolute monarchy. Later his theories and many more helped the French Revolution to take place by showing the people the rights that they want the government to recognize. One other political idealist was Montesquieu. Montesquieu came up with checks and balances which is a system that was developed to keep the government equal and not pass unfair laws. This system is used today by the American government.
The Enlightenment ideas also had a big impact on music. The Enlightenment saw the beginning of public concerts. The middle class sought entertainment which they could now afford, music was no longer private for a few privileged people.Voltaire thought that people of other cultures and religions should not only be tolerated but embraced as part of a brotherhood of man. Ideas such as this were quickly infused into the music of the day. Christoph Gluck sought
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