The Enlightenment was intellectual movement that defined the 18th Century. Its roots go back to the Humanist movement of the Renaissance, whose members began the novel idea of thinking independently, rather than just listening to the Church. The Scientific Revolution of the late 1500s through the 1600s helped lay a strong foundation for the reasonable and rational thinking that was the trademark of Enlightened philosophers.
Early French Enlightened Thinkers
There are three main thinkers who are credited with helping to establish the Enlightenment in France.
- Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)- In the wake of Columbus’ voyage to the New World, and European contact with peoples in India, Asia and Africa, Montaigne asked the radical question of why is it okay for Europe to impose its values on other lands? These foreign cultures had their own complex set of customs, laws and beliefs. Who was to say if Christian Europe was right and these people were wrong? What actually defined right?
- René Descartes (1596-1650)-Father of Cartesian Philosophy, Descartes gave the world the eternal statement “I think, therefore I am.” In other words, if people start from the point acknowledging their very existence, then they can prove the existence of God, with mathematics and reason, not just with faith.
- Blaise Pascal (1632-1662)-Pascal argued against Descartes, insisting that you could not replace faith and emotion with reason and logic. Pascal also was a contributor to achievements in mathematics and science.
Later Enlightened Philosophers of France
While early thinkers such as Descartes and Pascal helped build a framework for enlightened thought, later philosophers are best known for spreading the Enlightenment throughout Europe and beyond.
- Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755)-Montesquieu pointed out the teensy detail that most laws and legal codes evolved over time and were not preordained by God. This went directly against the commonly accepted belief that the king and the aristocracy were naturally “better” to rule than the lower classes, because of preordained laws.
- Voltaire (AKA François-Marie Arouet) (1689-1778)-One of the best known figures of the Enlightenment, Voltaire penned stories that mocked the aristocracy and all the outdated laws that kept society going. Ironically, Voltaire became a frequent guest in French salons, where Aristocratic ladies gathered the most popular thinkers and philosophers of the day. Voltaire was a good friend of King Frederick “The Great” of Prussia.
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)-Originally from Switzerland, Rousseau believed that people were born equal, though they certainly were not treated equal. He believed that this inherent inequality was not only morally wrong, but also highly inefficient and harmful to society as a whole.
These French philosophers, along with the British philosophers of the time, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, helped to establish the modern way of thinking, which included reason and logic. They would also help sew the seeds of revolution, in both the new and old worlds.
Sources:
Lang, Sean. European History for Dummies. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, LTD. 2006.
Mckay, Hill, Buckler. A History of World Societies: Volume II Since 1500. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1992.
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