Feb
8
Enlightenment Thinkers: Rousseau
February 8, 2012 | Comments Off on Enlightenment Thinkers: Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the most influential thinkers during the Enlightenment in eighteenth century Europe. His first major philosophical work, A Discourse on the Sciences and Arts, was the winning response to an essay contest conducted by the Academy of Dijon in 1750. In this work, Rousseau argues that the progression of the sciences […]
Feb
6
Enlightening Music
February 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Enlightening Music
The eighteenth century is known as the Englightenment; within this time frame the Classical era of music was born. The music of this century is “characterized by a singable, lyrical melody,” and is reflective of the “orderly” era (192). Some key and familiar musicians of the Englightenment are Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, and Schubert; here are […]
Dec
12
Enlightenment Legacies
December 12, 2011 | Comments Off on Enlightenment Legacies
Legacy of the 18th century Enlightenment movement for today’s problems The 18th-century Enlightenment was the single most important intellectual development in human history; it made possible the comfortable, prosperous, stable, and relatively free Western civilization that we enjoy today. Enlightenment thinkers believed in a single, knowable, absolute reality guided by rational natural laws. Individuals, said […]
Dec
12
Philosophes
December 12, 2011 | Comments Off on Philosophes
The Philosophes: Pillars of the Enlightenment but not Democracy The 18th century French philosophes are rightly respected for the key role they played in the development of the Enlightenment. They were ardent in their desire to spread knowledge, education, toleration and humane values. Diderot, the editor of the great Encyclopedia that was such a major […]
Dec
12
Deism in the Enlightenment
December 12, 2011 | Comments Off on Deism in the Enlightenment
Deism Deism was a very popular religious movement which began in England in the mid 1600’s and spread later to Europe and North America. Deism[4]: 1. taught that God exists and should be worshipped. 2. claimed that true religious and ethical teachings did not come from the Scriptures or from the Church but […]
Dec
11
Denis Diderot and the Encyclopedia
December 11, 2011 | Comments Off on Denis Diderot and the Encyclopedia
Denis Diderot was a French writer and philosopher well known that revolutionized his time by his opinions. Little background on his early years. He was born October 5, 1713 in Langres, where he was a child with no problems. His father descended from a lineage of master craftsmen that was highly regarded in the town of Langres. He signed all his works by a stamp of family. While it’s hard to believe when you look at his career, Diderot was first a priest! He approached secondary education with […]
Dec
11
Charles III, King of Spain
December 11, 2011 | Comments Off on Charles III, King of Spain
Charles III (1716-88), King of Spain (1759-88), the younger son of Philip V and Isabella of Parma, was one of the most successful enlightened despots of the 18th century. He became Duke of Parma in 1731, in 1734 he conquered Naples and Sicily and became king over them as Charles VII, King of Naples […]
Dec
11
Catherine the Great of Russia
December 11, 2011 | Comments Off on Catherine the Great of Russia
Catherine the Great is remembered as one of the greatest reformers of Russia. During her reign, Catherine continued the reforms begun by Peter the Great that ultimately led to the emergence of Russia onto the worldwide stage of politics. Catherine was a German princess whose original name was Sophie Augusta Fredericka. She was born on […]
Dec
11
Art Drama and Music in The Enlightenment
December 11, 2011 | Comments Off on Art Drama and Music in The Enlightenment
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVJ9Yh-tqcI[/youtube] Retrieved from:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVJ9Yh-tqcI
Dec
11
Jacques-Louis David
December 11, 2011 | Comments Off on Jacques-Louis David
Retrieved from: http://www.jacqueslouisdavid.org/Tennis-Court-Oath.html Jacques Louis David (August 30, 1748 – December 29, 1825) was a highly influential French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the prominent painter of the era. In the 1780s his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in taste away from Rococo frivolity toward a classical austerity and severity, chiming […]