Faith and Reason in the Enlightenment Essay -- Philosophy Philosophers

Faith and Reason in the Enlightenment One of the most important reasons that the issues involving faith and reason were present during the years that the Enlightenment took place in Europe was because of a group of men known as the philosophes. The philospohes, a word which is french for philosophers, were the thinkers of the Enlightenment Era. Initially, the philosophes were not accepted by the majority of the Europeans, who had already established their own firm beliefs which stemmed from the traditional beliefs of Christian Europe. After the Revolution in the American colonies in 1775, some Europeans began to embrace the new ideas and ways of thinking introduced by the philosophes. The philosophes claimed that they were bringing the light of knowledge to ignorant fellow humans during the age of the Enlightenment. The philosophes had the most amount of success and the largest following in France. The main reason for the philosophes success in France was because french was the official language of the educated class, and these were the people who were most interested in what the philosophes had to say. These french philosophes were no doubt philosophers, frequently asking "fundamental philosophical questions regarding the meaning of life, God, human nature, good and evil and cause and effect" (McKay 603). The philosophes were not interested in just sharing their new ideas with the educated class in France, but strived to reach all economic and social elites of not only France, but the remainder of Europe as well. Many of the philisophes joined together in the eighteenth century concept to create an educated and enlightened public where everyone had the opportunity to hear what the philosophes were debati... ...hes. These thinkers emerged in the age of the Enlightenment and challenged beliefs which were long held facts by Christian tradition and the majority of Europeans during this time period. The philisophes' questions regarding human nature and religion, among many other things challenged people's beliefs of the combination and relationship of faith and reason and aided in the process of further educating many people throughout Europe. Works Cited: - Cassirer, Ernst. The Philosophy of the Enlightenment. Beacon Press. Boston. 1951. - Gay, Peter. The Enlightenment: The Science of Freedom. W.W. Norton and Company. New York. 1969. - Grossman, Lionel. French Society and Culture: Background for 18th Century Literature. Prentice-Hall, Inc. New Jersey. 1972. - Schneider, Isidor. The Enlightenment. George Braziller, Inc.