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How Did Thomas Paine Contribute To The Enlightenment

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The Baroque Era and the Enlightenment Era, like the Renaissance, was a time of innovative thinking. This time period created one of the most revolutionary revolts in human history. But this thinking stemmed from several authors during its time. One of which is John Locke. According to the textbook, “John Locke believed people are perfectly capable of governing themselves. Locke’s Essay on Human Understanding… argues that the human mind is at birth a tabula rasa, or “blank state” (Benton et al. 120). This was a great works of literature because it motivated Western nations to rise against their monarchs at the time. Even though philosophy was more or less accepted, the church and the monarchy ruled the state. Whereas, previous works like Niccolò …show more content…

Some of the most important figures during the time were also revolutionists, such as the American colonists. For example, Thomas Paine brought some of the most important philosophical views in society, which became the most dominant form of thinking in the United States, the separation of church and state. According to the textbook, “Thomas Paine was a journalist and pamphleteer whose writings roused readers’ passions against the British and inspired them to believe that military resistance was both necessary and justified” (146). He wrote one of the most important works for the colonists called The Age of Reason. This pamphlet is perhaps one of the most important documents written because it discusses the subject of separation of church and state. According to the textbook, there are several reasons explained in his work The Age of Reason which state: “I believe in one God, and no more, and I hope for happiness beyond this life… I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy” (185). These statements describe the importance of religion, as well the natural-born freedoms of man; that they should both be praised enjoyed but with a balance and separation of them both. In addition, he has written other materials such as Common Sense, which explains the notable patriotism to …show more content…

All of which have had some sort of effect on most modern nations, one way or another. Romanticism, which followed the Enlightenment had a unique style to its time, which modified previous styles to make it as the time period for which it’s called. According to the textbook, Romanticism is defined as “a growing trust in subjective experience, particularly in the emotions and feelings of individuals” (191). This expression could be seen in the artistic paintings of the artists at the time, as well as the literary works of art. For example, the painting The Third of May by Francisco Goya with its vibrant expressions on the subjects and the rustic styles of John Constable’s The Haywain, as well as Joseph Mallord William Turner’s The Slave Ship. In addition, one would observe these works of art and draw a dramatic-like expression by the artwork represented, unlike most of the past artwork from previous eras, which show fortunate events rather than calamitous ones. Subsequently, another form of thinking had taken place in several minds of the people, especially in Ralph Waldo Emerson. According to the textbook, Transcendentalism is defined as “philosophical development from the poetry of William Wordsworth … Kant had argued there are two basic elements, ‘those that we receive through impressions, and those that our faculty of knowledge supplies from itself’” (200).

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