Human Nature in Classical Philosophy: The Age of Enlightenment Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

The Age of Enlightenment is primarily an intellectual movement associated with developing scientific, philosophical, and social thought based on rationalism and free-thinking. The idea of the free individual, which was intensively developed during the Renaissance, gained recognition during the Enlightenment. Everyone should think not only about himself but also about others, about his place in society. The Enlighteners sought to understand the specificity of inter-human relations. At the center of their attention were the problems of the best social order. They developed programs of social transformation, as much as possible, corresponding to human nature. According to many Enlighteners, man is part of nature, an entirely human material being, and is not qualitatively distinguished from it.

Man is not evil by nature, and society makes a person that way through imperfect relationships and faulty upbringing. To change man, it is necessary to change the culture, in which a properly educated person will act on the principle of rational selfishness. In proposing a transformation of society on the principles of reason and justice, the French Enlighteners advocated, in general, ways of reforming society peacefully, coming from above from enlightened rulers. According to this approach, the justice system should work to defeat the imperfection of human behavior. The punishment is imposed according to a committed crime, notwithstanding individual circumstances. The sentence should be based only on the precedent of proclaiming the same one in analogic cases. According to this philosophy, the judicial system works to eliminate crimes, not criminals. The personality, rational by nature, cannot be changed individually. Delinquency can be defeated only when the society’s system is reorganized according to the principles of equality, consciousness, and rationalism.

References

Slović, S. (2020). From modernism towards post-modernism: Rationalism and the enlightnment era. Bastina, 50, 121–131.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2023, July 30). Human Nature in Classical Philosophy: The Age of Enlightenment. https://ivypanda.com/essays/human-nature-in-classical-philosophy-the-age-of-enlightenment/

Work Cited

"Human Nature in Classical Philosophy: The Age of Enlightenment." IvyPanda, 30 July 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/human-nature-in-classical-philosophy-the-age-of-enlightenment/.

References

IvyPanda. (2023) 'Human Nature in Classical Philosophy: The Age of Enlightenment'. 30 July.

References

IvyPanda. 2023. "Human Nature in Classical Philosophy: The Age of Enlightenment." July 30, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/human-nature-in-classical-philosophy-the-age-of-enlightenment/.

1. IvyPanda. "Human Nature in Classical Philosophy: The Age of Enlightenment." July 30, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/human-nature-in-classical-philosophy-the-age-of-enlightenment/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Human Nature in Classical Philosophy: The Age of Enlightenment." July 30, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/human-nature-in-classical-philosophy-the-age-of-enlightenment/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1