The Enlightenment

1. The Enlightenment The Role of Satire

2. A Brief Intro to the Enlightenment • As Immanuel Kant said “Do we live in an Enlightened Age? NO! We live in an age of enlightenment • This was a time of Optimism but it existed with the realization that human existed in a sad state and major change was needed. • It was an age that focused on progress – freedom, human rights, justice and equality • Scientists, philosophers and social thinkers believed that the human condition could be improved through the implementation of logic • We could become masters of the universe!

3. What was the Enlightenment • It was a time when people challenged the political and social structures of the day. • It was a time when scientists were developing natural laws about the world and the creatures within it. • It was a time when social thinkers developed secular ideologies with the goal of transforming society. • It was a time when traditions were challenged • It was a time when people thought about what could be rather than what is. • It was the AGE OF REASON • It was a time that was full of great ideas but little action

4. The Rise of Satire • Satire:Literary Comedy the points out inconsistenciesUsually a criticism of society and its institutionsBased in Morality and Rational Thought • You have all seen satire! • Satire becomes the language of the enlightenment • It is entertaining, understandable to the common man, not directly offensive to those in power, and makes important and intelligent points about various topics

5. Jonathan Swift1667-1745 • Attacked English society and government • Believed humans were too uncaring and selfish • Focused on exposing the horrors of England’s policies towards Ireland • His two most famous works are A Modest Proposal and Gulliver’s Travels

6. Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire)1694 - 1778 • The Greatest of all the Enlightened Philosophes and a hero of his time • Attacked everything from social customs and history to literature and politics • Was opposed to fast change and excessive optimism • He wanted gradual reform – feared democracy as anarchy and absolutism as tyranny • He believed in Constitutional Monarchy • Wrote the masterpiece “Candide”

8. Summary • The Enlightenment is an Age where people wrote about applying logic to the human condition to improve it • People thought that logic was a path to paradise • The Enlightenment was a lot of talk but little action • Satire was the common language of the Philosophes • Great writers such as Swift and Voltaire questioned society in a way that was both entertaining and intellectual