Birth of individual in the enlightenment essays

Birth of individual in the enlightenment essays There are several themes developed during the Enlightenment, and it is hard to separate them, into causes, effects, side-effects etc. There do exist common threads however, one of which I intend to describe. As impossible as it is to pick one theme as the most important, I believe that it is in the birth of the individual that the Enlightenment owes its existence to. The events that I wish to use as examples of this point of view are the separation of church and state, the scientific revolution, the new theories of government and the start of capitalist thought. The importance and power of the individual was not fully realised until ideas were transformed through the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the rise of capitalism. These movements helped Europe realise the latent potential within an individual. Until such progressive movements occurred, the individual was neglected. For example the new Christian sects that were created undermined the church as having an absolute truth because each religion claimed to have an absolute truth of their own, separate from their counterparts. One now had the option to freely choose his or her faith rather than accept beliefs that were forced upon him. Also, theology adapted from one dictatorial faith to a variety that better suited society and its members. The scientific revolution can also be considered from the point of the individual Newton and his contemporaries all emphasised empirical science, ie only accepting what their senses told them. The rise of capitalism is one of the most substantial manifestations of the importance of the individual. Adam Smith was the foremost thinker in this area, by proposing a system of economic liberty whereby each individual is free to choose how to expend their productive labour and capital laissez faire. ...