...Why was Socrates regarded as a man of virtue? Why was Socrates regarded as a man of virtue? Socrates: Man of Virtue (470-399 B.C.E.) Socrates proposed the theory of value in which there are two sorts of good: virtue and happiness. Both are unconditional goods. But happiness is a "self-generated" good in that it "derives its value strictly from its inherent properties;" whereas virtue is an "other-generated" good in that it derives its value from happiness, precisely from its conduciveness to happiness. Virtue is an instinct in all humanity which can be aroused through self-examination. This universal truth is accessible to everyone who thinks and question. Socrates assumes that any person with whom he talks has the resource to answer his question correctly, that is, that no specialist knowledge is required. Socrates thought that knowledge is virtue, and virtue leads to happiness. It makes sense to think that moral people know what morality is. If you know right from wrong, then you might be able to choose to do what you know to be right. It also makes some sense to suspect that our beliefs about right and wrong influence our decisions. If we believe its right to help a drowning child, then it would be fairly shocking to decide not to do so—and it would less surprising when we decide to help the child. It is quite a shocking statement to say that virtue always leads to happiness. Criminals commit crimes that hurt others to help themselves. To think that their crimes would...
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... Montesquieu believed in the check and balances. Rousseau believed in individual freedom and civilization corrupts. Voltaire believed in freedom of thought and expression. In 1688 the glorious/bloodless Revolution in England removes James the 3rd. William and Mary take over and that means no more catholic kings or queens and no more absolute monarchy. The French Revolution had some enlightenment thinkers which were Thomas Hobbes...
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...or who comes to mind? To many people, the enemy is usually their rival or someone they despise. During the Age of Enlightenment, two critical philosophers, Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, both mentioned this word, enemies, in their works. Most interestingly, their attitudes towards the enemy are not the same; the enemy is also not its definition. Both philosophers clearly utilizes this word to convey their messages or ideas toward human nature and the Enlightenment more clearly. Hobbes sees the enemies as a concrete concept, a physical referent, while Rousseau has a more abstract viewpoint on enemies, and both of their approaches enforce their personal beliefs toward their changing society....
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...Juan Sanchez Mr.Howell World History 27 january 2016 The Enlightenment Philosophers: What Was Their Main Idea? Nowadays, the idea of freedom is taken for granted by many people. Those who possess these freedoms do not realize just how fortunate they are to have the right to speak their minds. However, the question is, how and when did the idea of freedom come to be? Who created this idea of individuality and freedom? The Age of Enlightenment was a time of new revolutionary ideas, and during this period, many philosophers, or thinkers, formed ideas that were never spoken of before. They went against common beliefs and created ideas that were evidently disapproved by society. So what was the main idea of these Enlightenment philosophers? The main idea of the Enlightenment philosophers was freedom, as supported by the works of John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Mary Wollstonecraft. Firstly, John Smith’s work, Second Treatise on Civil Government, demonstrated the idea of freedom immensely. In Document A, Locke stated that “all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom… within the bounds of the law of nature,” specifying men’s right to freedom. Furthermore, he stated his beliefs about human equality. He believed that all mankind should be “equal one amongst another without subordination or subjection…” (Document A). Locke’s beliefs were based on human rights and society; however, all of these focuses link to his main idea, which was freedom. Voltaire...
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...The Small Enlightenment in Prussia and German States The Enlightenment was an expansive intellectual, philosophical, cultural, and social movement that spread throughout much of Europe during the 1700s. The Enlightenment was largely made possible by the Scientific Revolution which began in the 1500s and represented the biggest departure from The Middle Ages. After millenniums of obedience to the Church people started to break away from a long spell of ignorance and began to question ideas relating to society and nature. A period also known as ‘The Age of Reason’ saw the emergence of intellectuals advancing knowledge unlike ever before. What resulted were pivotal discoveries in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, physics, politics, economics, philosophy, music, and medicine that shaped the Western world for decades and centuries to come. While The Enlightenment didn’t help produce a revolutionary outcome such as in France, Prussia and German states still experienced a fair share of intellectual development during this time. Since Germany was divided into a multitude of smaller states, with different languages and influences, The Enlightenment didn’t have a full blown effect. Moreover, the combination of popular discontent with the Church and a fury of dissatisfaction among the nobility and middle class such as in France wasn’t entirely present in Prussia. Nonetheless, Frederick II the Great, the King of Prussia, borrowed ideas from other parts of Europe in an attempt...
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...Student McResearcher Mr. Milroy Honors World Literature [DUE DATE] The Enlightenment and the Atlantic Revolutions Before the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment movement in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, divine reasoning and superstition were the explanation for unknown events, leadership, and government. Kings and emperors were justified by the gods or God of the people. People were killed due to accusations of witchcraft because there was no other explanation for the peculiar event that took place. Religion was the center of almost everyone’s life, and it explained many unknown elements of the world, such as creation. However, with new ideas and a scientific background, the world went through drastic changes. The Enlightenment, with its new radical ideas, particularly about government and human reason, served as the basis and...
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...: The Old Regime and The Enlightenment The year 1789 marks big changes in Europe. 1789 was the beginning of the French Revolution and the end of The Old Regime in France. Even though changes and new beginnings were soon to come, The Old Regime wasn’t easy to get rid of. France was considered to be the most powerful, populous and most prosperous country in Europe. Lots of French culture was admired and copied. French was considered the language of aristocracy and royal courts all over the continent. France was also very influential with their palace built by Louis XIV in Versailles, the palace was so beautiful that other countries built their own palaces with the same idea and design. During The Old Regime, the palace symbolized the wealth and the value of the absolute monarchy. The absolute monarchy composed of king and queens who inherited their own position and would eventually pass down their title to their eldest son or daughter. The kings and queens believed in Divine Rights, which is God’s agents on earth to serve the people. The Old Regime was introduced by the revolutionaries of 1789, it was based on a social hierarchy in which was determined by birth, not by your hard works or talents. The top of the human chain was the king, which was God’s divine representative. Louis XIV’s great great-grandfather once said L’etat c’est moi, which means I am the state. Underneath the king, the French society was organized into three estates with different social responsibilities...
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...world leaders have tried to grasp it and understand the meaning of it thus showing how important it is to study philosophy. Nevertheless, not only should world leaders study philosophy but also everyone should be aware of the different philosophical teachings in order to differentiate well from wrongdoing. It is no surprise that philosophers understood ethics and politics before others, therefore showing the depth and practicality of philosophy as well as defining academia. Philosophy should not only be considered a social science but also a lifestyle; to better explain, philosophy is applicable in the daily routine as well as in the professional world making it both a theoretical and pragmatic. As a lifestyle, philosophers focused on how philosophy could be applicable to the daily life to improve one’s being. One of the main philosophies, still applicable today, and serves as guide for those looking for a healthier life is Confucianism. This philosophical ideology analyzes ethics, politics and influence, and through his teachings, the philosopher Confucius focused on developing one’s virtues in order to achieve inner peace and happiness. As a philosopher, Confucius explained the importance of philosophy and its relevance by becoming a teacher to enlighten others of the world of philosophy. The fact that Confucius decided to give up public life and become a professor...
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...Montesquieu and Rousseau Enlightenment Impact During the 18th century The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason where there were numerous amounts of European philosophers who contributed to the Enlightenment period. The Enlightenment period was considered a movement which advocated rationality as a means to establish an authoritative system of ethics, aesthetics, and knowledge. Though having different backgrounds, one a nobleman, the other a commoner, both Baron de Montesquieu and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were two of the philosophers during the Enlightenment period. Even though having different backgrounds, they shared the urge to apply science to social reform. With treating the government conditionally, it was criterion to decide the type of government that should be established. Born in Bordeaux, France, Charles-Louis de Secondat, a nobleman, a judge in the French Court and one of the most influential thinkers came from a very wealthy family. Soon after going to college, studying science and history and eventually becoming a lawyer, his father and uncle died so Montesquieu inherited the family fortune. After writing Persian Letters in 1721, by criticizing liberty and lifestyle of wealthy French, and even included the church, he also Howard 2 wrote, On the Spirit of Laws. This was published in 1748, which was his famous work. Earning the nickname, “Father of Modern Anthropology”, Montesquieu was the first of the enlightenment philosophers to prescribe both universal...
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...The Age of Enlightenment The self-proclaimed Age of Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a period notable for its substantial cultural and scientific developments, that took place mainly during the eighteenth century. It was a time when the scholarly class of Western Europe left behind Church dogma in the process of formulating philosophical ideas as well as scientific theories. It was substituted with reason. Notably, political ideas that were extremely radical for the time propagated throughout Europe and eventually led to the revolutions of France and the United States. Also, modern science further implanted itself into the mainstream. The roots of the entire movement date back to the time of the great Ancient Greek philosophers and scientists, specifically to such great thinkers as Aristotle and Plato. In Western Europe, from the time of the Middle Ages until then, Aristotelian science had remained the extent of scientific knowledge. It had long been lost due to the chaos of the Dark Ages, but it was “rediscovered” in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries through contact with Muslim influence and Byzantine scholars. During the late years of the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment, scholars set out to improve upon Aristotelian and Platonic ideas. [1] The Renaissance gave a basis for the Age of Enlightenment to continue on. The Humanist movement during the Renaissance started to slightly move away from the Church. Although most Humanists were...
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...|distinguish between the scientists Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and Harvey and their works | | |compare the political theories of Hobbes and Locke | | |explain how science and philosophy influenced one another during the Enlightenment | | |explain the term enlightened despot, using the model of Frederick II of Prussia | | |Click here for the course glossary | | |Click here for a Timeline of The Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution | | |This lesson discusses European society between 1600 and 1800--an era marked by the power of ideas and rational | | |thinking. The term Scientific Revolution is used to describe the growing acceptance and influence of the scientific| | |method and the belief that reason and inquiry can explain and even change the world. The term Enlightenment is | | |perhaps a more accurate name for this period because it incorporates a variety of intellectual movements that today| | |we do not consider sciences: philosophy, theology, economics, history, and political theory. | | |The word scientist did...
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...French founder of the Encyclopédie, Denis Diderot, once said "Freedom is a gift from heaven, and every individual of the same species has the right to enjoy it as soon as he is in enjoyment of his reason." These words were said during the time of the Enlightenment, which was an intellectual movement that changed society in different aspects. It was also known as the Age of Reason and took place primarily in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Philosophers such as John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith and Mary Wollstonecraft all believed that society would be best through freedom in government, religion, economy and gender roles. In order to have a good and working government, John Locke believed that freedom was the most important element. According to him, “There is nothing more evident, than that creatures of the same species and rank...should also be equal one amongst another without subordination or subjection…” (Source A) This shows how he believes that a government without people who are superior and ruling (kings and queens) is the most successful type. John locke knew that individual freedom is the best for a good democracy that works for everyone....
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...The Enlightenment Philosophers, who are well-educated people during the late 17th and 18th century in Europe that stressed the belief that science and logic give people more knowledge and understanding than tradition and religion, were questioning traditional ways of living and knowing and they were hopeful that they might discover new ways to understand and improve their society. Each Enlightenment Philosophers had a different view towards society and government, however, had similar main ideas of what they think is the most ideal and essential value within the people of society. Each Enlightenment Philosophers pursue the idea of freedom. They believed that allowing people more freedom will improve society as well as the government as a whole. However, their main ideas aroused in different forms in areas like government, economics, religion, and greater social equality for women. John Locke, an English Political Philosopher, expresses the idea of individual freedom. In his work, “Second Treatise on Civil Government, 1690”, he states, “rank...should also be equal one amongst another without subordination or subjection”. He believes that all men should be equal under the laws of the government without any lowering position and all men should be treated equally as others. Also, he points out that, when the government is ended, people at liberty...
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...answer is to say that we don’t have enough data to solve the problem. Also, science has several branches under it such as biology, physics, geology, and astronomy, to name a few. Modern science has been evolving since the foundation was laid by the first scientists ways back then. It wasn’t always highly regarded; it emerged from the darkness of mysticism, alchemy, astrology, and better yet, sorcery. Metaphysics was the first attempt to give rational explanations for natural phenomena. Overall any field was used to try to give an explanation to unanswered questions, some people agree with these “answers” and some people don’t. Ancient civilizations practiced what we now refer to as applied science and mathematics. The discoveries made during these times were sought for practical uses. Counting could’ve been the fundamental beginning of recording information. (Isenhour, 2013) Babylonians, Egyptians and other ancient civilizations practiced astronomy and engineering. Astronomy was and is still useful for the prediction of seasons and defining times for planting and harvesting. Geometry was used to construct buildings and design irrigation ditches and also is the main foundation for mechanical engineering. In 600 B.C. and up, there was increase of a metallurgical culture and it hasn’t stopped until this day. Metallurgy and metallurgical advances divide history into great eras such as the Stone Age,...
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...Top Ten Assignment The Enlightenment and Romanic Ages produced numerous masterpieces in art, music, architecture, and literature which people still enjoy today. These opus magnums along with the philosophies during the two periods are reflections of the developments in world events and cultural patterns. This paper will present two pieces of art, music, architecture, literature, and philosophy from the Enlightenment and Romanic Ages that best represents the developments patterns from that time. Philosophy in the Enlightenment Age focused on an individual’s right to life and liberty. One example of a philosopher from this age is Thomas Jefferson. He famously wrote the Declaration of Independence (1776) that the Continental Congress signed declaring the United States free from the oppression of England. The document begins with, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (us history, 2013). Another such example of philosophy during the Enlightenment Age are the works of Thomas Paine. He wrote two of the most highly influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution. One such pamphlet is Common Sense (1776) (us history, 2011) the all-time bestselling book that advocates America’s independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine were chosen as examples because we believe the Declaration...
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