Enlightenment
- 17th & 18th century
- church authorities challenged
- free gov, free religion
- key players: BaconBacon
Francis Bacon
Class Notes
Four Idols of False Knowing
1) Idols of the tribe
2) Idols of the cave (your personal bias)
3) Idols of the market
4) Idols of the theater
seek truth using induction vs deductionReason
Reason
reason is the "natural light" [[Descartes]]
what is the difference b/t reason & thinking?
what is thinking?
processing information?
in this case, can an animal think?
what is reason?
a type of thinking?
can you only accept what has been proven by reason?
reason is like a telescope: it lets us see things clearer; but it must have ...
was against deductive reasoning
started a "scientific revolution"
inspired from Roger Bacon
emphasis on experimentation
, DescartesDescartes
Rene Descartes
Background Info
1596-1650
educated at Univ of Paris
Catholic Christian
not an academic
wrote Descartes, Meditations of First Philosophy from a [[Rationalism
rationalistic]] perspective
claims he is making a whole new start in philosophy
D. arrived at a certain and evident knowledge of the truth. He wants to see if he can persuade others by the same method that he himself used.
..., KantKant
Kant
Wrote Kant, What is Enlightenment?
Man's primary problem isn't sin; it's that he doesn't have the freedom to reason & be enlightened (??)
Background
came from Prussia, wrote under Frederick the Great
Kant - a rationalist who wants to confine reason to the bounds of experience
reason is bound by the condition of possible experience; cannot reason about unexperienced things
so, we can't reason a/b God crating the world because we didn't experience it
..., many others - challenged monarchical structure, who gets to be king
- leads to "enlightened despots"
- those who rule in spirit of enlightenment (not divine right of kings, but are authoritarean)
- includes Napoleon, Peter the Great, Catherine
- don't assume anything; prove everything