Enlightenment, Age of

Early Enlightenment

To understand the Enlightenment one must first acknowledge its antecedents. The Enlightenment could not have occurred if not for the historical foundation that buttressed it. This historical foundation includes the accomplishments of reason and logic dating back to ancient Greece. It was in ancient Greece that logic had been used to turn traditional beliefs upside down, and the thinkers of the Enlightenment sought the same outcome in Europe.

Most emblematic of the Enlightenment is the appreciation of reason. Thus, the roots of the Enlightenment in Europe can be traced back as far as Saint Thomas Aquinas, who reinvigorated the ancient Greek logic of Aristotle, attempting to demonstrate harmony between reason and faith. It was at this point in the 13th century that reason began to vie for center stage in European thought, rivaling the religious faith that had been venerated since the fall of Rome and throughout the Dark Ages. The conflict may be seen not just in the philosophy of Aquinas but in literature as well, particularly in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy

from the 13th century on, reason vied to sway the European mind, as can be seen by the unfolding of European history afterward. The 14th and 15th centuries saw the rise of the Renaissance and particularly the humanist thinkers who fueled this movement. The humanists defied traditional power structures not just by championing reason but by taking a new attitude toward God, humanity, and the universe. Instead of gloomily dwelling on original sin, they took a more positive and cheerful attitude, arguing that to worship God one must worship his creation, the most beautiful of which was humanity. In fact, the new humanist paradigm envisioned humans as being like God not only in literal image but also in his image in the sense that they too had creative powers. Thus, the outpouring of intellectual and artistic achievement during the Renaissance was rooted in the idea that such works were not sinful but were means of worshipping God.

[Page 416]Also demonstrating a new appreciation of humanity were the changes that came during the Reformation, which followed the Renaissance. The primary change was the appreciation and acceptance of human interpretation of the Bible. This new insistence upon human powers to create and interpret formed the foundation upon which the Enlightenment could unfurl. Furthermore, the emphasis on worshipping God through worship and appreciation of his creation evidences the roots of deism, which was the religion embodied by the Enlightenment.

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