Science+and+Reason+during+the+Enlightenment

Shivani Katbamna


 * “In the 18th century, people turned to the new science for a better understanding of the social and economic problems of the day.” **

**Assess the validity of this statement by using specific examples from the Enlightenment era. **

Thesis: During the Enlightenment era, people began to believe in the new branches of science and reason rather than the abstract idea of God and religion.

I. Skepticism and the Philosophes
 * Fonatanelle: science became part of literature
 * Bayle: superstition, attacked religious intolerance, thought that forcing people to believe in certain religious ideas was wrong, believed that many religions would benefit the state rather than harm it
 * travel books
 * Locke: believed everyone was born with a blank mind-tabula rasa, people were influenced by environment and reason, not faith
 * Montesquieu: believed that "natural laws" governed human relationships, attacked traditional religion
 * Voltaire: believed in Deism- God created the world but had no direct involvement in wordly affairs
 * Diderot: thought Christianity was the worst religion, believed in a materialistic conception of life
 * D'Holbach: atheist, God unnecessary for moral life-humans only require reason
 * Condorcet: with the influence of science and reason, humans were entering 10th stage of perfection

II. How did people turn to science?
 * people began to think for themselves and use reason to deal with everyday situations
 * didn't rely solely on God
 * religion wasn't the only answer to their problems
 * Deism was very much part of the Enlightenment thinking
 * role of Church and religion diminished in comparison to reason and scientific discoveries
 * People turned to science to answer life's questions