Introduction
The 18th century intellectuals developed an idea of human history that is commonly known as the enlightenment. The initiative contributed to a relatively free and stable Western civilization that is being enjoyed today. Those supporters of the Enlightenment idea were known as Enlightenment thinkers, they believed in a predictable and absolute reality that was supported through the coherent and natural laws. Enlightenment movement changed quite a number of the rights that protected the life of human beings, their properties, the pursuit for happiness and freedom of expression (Fiero, p.52).
Enlightenment thinkers therefore maintained that no one, neither private criminals nor government, had to violate such rights with a view that the rights are achieved from nature and not from fellow people thus being referred to as natural rights. They considered the natural rights as something that need not to be taken away, although it can be violated rendering that particular person into an ultimate immorality.
The Enlightenment developed man’s liberty that enabled him to tell whatever that was in mind as well as publish the ideas by use of own property. It also criticized the government censorship and application of force against the free idea expressions; involved in religious bigotry as well as intolerance (Hewitt, p. 276).
The private domain was the main controller of religion and the moral obligations rather than being left to the government authorities. The Enlightenment thinkers supported the individual association idea and they completely fledged the property rights, enabling the free trade markets. The Enlightenment resulted into a period of shrinking government, high level of tolerance and liberty which that created much freedom for commercial transactions.
The role of Industrial revolution in shaping modern society
As a result of Enlightenment, the creative entrepreneurs as well as thinkers enjoyed the high freedom benefits that were brought in by the Enlightenment thinkers, enabling them to apply the newly acquired liberty to invent advance technologies and the ideas which initiated the achievement of Industrial revolution. The industrial revolution of that took place between the 19th and 18th centuries led to the contemporary global prosperity and development opportunities (Fiero, p.52).
The contribution of Mary Wollstonecraft, the Enlightenment thinker in women’s Movement
The global issues of feminism and the social movements greatly promoted the people-ideas movements across the entire national borders (Hewitt, p. 276). This involved the publications of John Stuart Mill’s on Women’s ideas, individual feminists and social movement subjects in 1869, and Women’s rights vindication in 1792 by Mary Wollstonecraft’s. The radical ideas that inspired were the rights and emancipation for women, an idea that is currently known as feminism (Hewitt, p. 276).
The idea was revolutionary because most of the radical feminists insisted on women’s right in exercising control of her entire body. Women for instance remained single. There was also the establishment of sexual relationships and bearing children outside marriage. In addition the women advocated for their higher equality within the public institutions like churches, government positions, and family or rather household decision making. The socio-economic, intellectual and cultural transformations were the driving force for the various feminism ideas. The vision was achieved because, since in the current world there are women who hold bigger positions in government positions, churches, family decision making, and some have managed to be singles as the early Enlightenment women thinkers advocated for.
Conclusion
The early Industrial revolution greatly contributed to the creative entrepreneurship which resulted into the current advances in technologies. These were the results of the enlightenment thinkers. The early feminism and social movements’ areas of concern in Europe as well as United States influenced the contemporary gender balance debate motions.
Works Cited
Fiero, Gloria. Landmarks in Humanities by second edition. New York. McGraw-Hill Companies. 2008.
Hewitt, Nancy. From Wollstonecraft to Mill: What British and European Ideas and Social Movements Influenced the Emergence of Feminism in the Atlantic World, 1792-1869. Journal Universel, Vol. 5, No.8, 276.