enlightenment
Based on Rousseau’s criticism of Enlightenment ideas, the French Revolution did and did not implement the ways of the Enlightenment. Rousseau sees a number of problems within the thinking of the Enlightenment, preferably when dealing with the arts and sciences. It is for this reason alone that the French Revolution in actuality did not implement the ideas of the Enlightenment. In fact, all of the actions that took place in the French Revolution totally came into agreement with the theories of Rousseau. However after the Revolution and still today, those Enlightenment theories are a main stay in everyday life. The Enlightenment itself was a period of pure reason and rational, where people were to emphasize the right to self expression and human fulfillment, as well as the right to think freely and express their views publicly without being scrutinized. They did this through science and other forms of art, two things, which according to Rousseau are no way of findin! Of course when applying the sciences there are certain outcomes and answers to certain problems. One thing many forget is the possibility of error. According to Rousseau, error is a huge problem when dealing wi
Last but not least is an aspect of the Enlightenment which like the above, is true even today. Rousseau believed that by following the Enlightenment, appearance was everything. By spreading the arts, men would judge a product by appearance alone and not effort, “One no longer asks if a man is upright, but rather if he is talented; nor of a book if it is useful, but if its well written. Rewards are showered on the witty, and virtue is left without honors. There are a thousand prizes for noble discourses, but none for noble actions.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ “ Cultivating the sciences is very harmful to moral qualities. I see everywhere-immense institutions where young people are brought up at a great expense, learning everything except their duties. Your children will not know their own language, but will speak others that are nowhere in use; they will know how to write verses that they can barely understand; without knowing how to distinguish error from truth, they will possess the art of making them unrecognizable to others by specious arguments. But they will not know what the words magnanimity, equity, temperance, humanity, and courage are; that sweet name fatherland will never strike their ear; and if they here of God, it will be less to be awed by him than to be afraid of him. What then should they learn? Let them learn what they ought to do as men and not what they should forget.” (Rousseau, 56) By using various David and Goliath type battles that occurred throughout history, Rousseau conveys his hypothesis. In those battles it is the luxurious dynasties such as Rome and England, that fall to people who have no clue what riches are. The only thing that those people had were lots of heart, and shear will power. This should be the way of Enlightenment. It is not the books, or paintings that won the revolution for the French, but shear will power and determination; something that no Enlightenment theory could ever give to a person. The rebels in no way, shape, or form applied the Enlightenment to the war. Yet, in the real world the Enlightenment ideas are and will always be the supreme form of knowledge. It is safe to
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Approximate Word count = 1507
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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