What was the Enlightenment movement?

We explain what this stage of history, which gave impetus to scientific thought, consisted of.

Today's Western world cannot be understood without the Enlightenment movement.. Its existence laid the foundations for the development of science as we know it, in addition to promoting values such as rationality and freedom with its optimistic philosophy about the possibilities of human beings to transform society. Let's see what it consisted of.

What was the Enlightenment?

In the mid-seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, a handful of bourgeois intellectuals in the Heart of Europe decided they had had enough of the system established by the Ancien Régime, also called the Absolutist Regime.also called Absolutist Regime, where all political power and social life was governed by a law that was erected by "divine choice".

Although historians attribute the birth of the Enlightenment to England, it was in France where this thought began to lay its foundations with intellectuals such as Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu. intellectuals such as Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu, among others, founding among others, founding what would become encyclopedism, which would be the great driving force of the Enlightenment.

Rationalism, the ideological basis of this historical stage.

The Enlightenment is a philosophical, literary, scientific and, finally, political movement.. The main mantra was to put an end to the status quo imposed by the archaic and outdated structures of the European kingdoms, basically directed by religion and ecclesiastical institutions. This period would also be known as the Age of Enlightenment, the result of the progress and development of new ideas, based mainly on reason and individual freedom.

As a synthesis of the previous paragraph, we can say that the Enlightenment had as its main characteristics rationalism, belief in the goodness of the human being, secularism and optimism, the latter from a more humanistic point of view.the latter from a more humanistic point of view. It ruled the idea of reason over Revelation and theological mandates, firmly opposing traditionalism.

Rationalism would then be the term most heard during the Enlightenment era, a metaphor to express the illumination that intelligence and logic would give off to guide the world full of ignorance. Reason was to be the element by which man had the capacity to understand everything through his intelligence, avoiding superstitions and extraterrestrial theories. "That which is not rational, should be branded as false," defended the enlightened.

Main characteristics of the movement

Once again, we emphasize reason as the only way to know the truth. Science will influence this premise, where everything that is the object of discussion or intellectual debate must be supported by evidence: we try to avoid the dogmatism typical of religions.. It was René Descartes who inspired the enlighteners with his ideas of "methodical doubt". Voltaire was another critic of theological fanaticism and conservative values that prevented the shaking of ignorance.

Another element to take into account is the ultimate purpose of the Age of Enlightenment, which was none other than to help achieve happiness and well-being for the citizens, through progress, progress, progress and progress. for citizens, through progress, private property, liberty and equality. In order to achieve happiness, politics has to be the means to achieve it for the whole society where a social contract between people and rulers governs.

The Enlightenment in Spain

As would happen in the rest of European territories and nations, the Enlightenment would be introduced into the veins of Spanish society gradually and with extreme moderation. It was not that it arrived suddenly and much later than in France or Germany, but the power of the Church hindered its advance. the power of the Church hindered its advance..

In fact, as was also the case in the counterpart countries, the Spanish ilustrados were an intellectual minority of noble class, with property and very often, with part of the clerical sector on their side, which was a novelty. Not all the defenders of divinity were opposed to the new horde of ideas that was about to establish itself throughout the old continent, giving rise to the French Revolution of 1789.

As a minority represented by the enlightened authors of Spain, the means they used to get the message across was the creation of public intellectual institutions for everyone to have access to. Academies of Language, History, Science and Medicine, were pioneers in revealing the ideas of the "Enlightenment" in our territory. Some authors such as Jovellanos, Guindo Cerezo and even King Carlos III, were great supporters of this movement.