The Enlightment Essay

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The Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason, was period in history when a philosophical movement during the eighteenth century that emphasized the use of reason to analyze once accepted doctrines or ideas and focused less on superstitions. During this movement, individuals placed an emphasis on experience and reason, mistrust of religion and tradition, and a slow emergence of the ideals of liberal, democratic societies. One of the major figures of this movement was Voltaire. Voltaire was born Francois-Marie Arouet. In his 84 years, Voltaire was historian, an essayist, playwright and storyteller, poet and philosopher. Voltaire’s Candide is an excellent example of why he represents an author of the Enlightenment era. In this tale, he campaigns against injustice and intolerance. It also attacks religious and philosophical optimism. As the textbook states, in Candide, Voltaire targets Leibnitz’s philosophy of optimism. This philosophy states that since God created the world and God is perfect, everything in the world is perfect. Because he challenged this traditional religious teaching and idea, it becomes a great example of the Enlightenment. Even though Voltaire criticizes, he states that the stated that the purpose of this tale was to “bring amusement.” He does this by describing horrible events in such great detail that it becomes amusing. As well, Voltaire is clearly an author of the Enlightenment era because he emphasized reason, despised democracy, and believed that an enlightened monarchy was the best form of government. He also used his wit to attack what he believed were corrupt

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