History Extra podcast The Enlightenment: everything you wanted to know
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Jun 20, 2021 Ritchie Robertson, a professor and author of "The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness," dives into the transformative intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries. He addresses how the Enlightenment reshaped history and faced opposition from the established church. The discussion also explores its global impact, including responses from non-Western societies. Furthermore, Robertson delves into the era's complex legacy on women's rights and considers the ongoing relevance of Enlightenment ideals amid contemporary challenges.
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Enlightenment Overview
- The Enlightenment was a shift in outlook, emphasizing reason, feeling (sympathy), and practicality.
- It involved questioning authority, understanding human nature, improving public life, and a decline in supernatural belief.
Enlightenment Timeline and Geography
- The Enlightenment spanned from 1680 to 1790, marked by Newton's Principia Mathematica and the Glorious Revolution.
- It thrived in urban centers like Paris, universities, and provincial societies across England, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Causes of the Enlightenment
- The Reformation, religious wars, and biblical studies contributed to the Enlightenment.
- These factors led to questioning religious authority and a shift towards moral-based religion and the concept of enlightened rulers.
