Women in the Enlightenment Essay

Without using reason in our everyday lives, society will collapse and turn into nothing but chaos. During the Enlightenment, a time when reason was beginning to be applied to the people’s thoughts, there were many great thinkers, but there were three in particular that attempted to change society’s unreasonable thinking. Voltaire, John Locke, and Mary Wollstonecraft all believed in freedom of choice; however, they believed in different branches of freedom of choice such as religion, government, and women’s education.

Women in Renaissance Italy faced rigid societal standards to which they were supposed to conform. They lived public lives, directed almost exclusively by other people in regards to significant decisions. However, this does not mean that a rise above the oppressive nature of the Renaissance was impossible. Several exceptional women were able to challenge their given positions in a society through their education, practices, seclusion, beauty, and roles. In an examination of several positions, through the Exhortations to Women and to Others If They Please by Lucrezia Marinella and the letters of Laura Cereta, a Renaissance feminist, women can be seen as accepting of their position in society or rebelling against it. Their lives and prescriptive writings show how one can either follow the role given to them or exceed beyond it and become an exceptional woman.

In 17th century Euro-America Puritan society believed that men played a patriarchal role upon women, and that this role was instituted by God and nature. The seniority of men over women lay within both the household and the public sphere. The household, immediate family living in the same dwelling was subject to the male as head figure of the house. The public sphere also known as the social life within the Puritan community consisted of two echelons. These echelons consisted of formal and informal public. The formal public consisted of woman and indentured servants. Women were to stay within the informal public and stay in the shadows of the men. The government held large ties with the church in the 17th century. Though women were

The Enlightenment period, also known as The Age of Reason, was a period of social, religious, and political revolution throughout the 18th century which changed the thoughts of man during this “awakening” time. It was a liberation of ignorant thoughts, ideas, and actions that had broken away from the ignorant perception of how society was to be kept and obeyed thus giving little room for new ideas about the world. Puritan society found these new ideas of thought to be extremely radical in comparison to what they believed which was a belief of strong rational religion and morality. Enlightened society believed that the use of reason would be a catalyst of social change and had a demand of political representation thus resulting in a time

Many new ideas sprouted following the enlightenment period, but one of the dominant new ideals was women 's rights. Women do just as much if not more work than men, but are continued to be treated poorly. In order for a society to be in peace, everyone, including women should have the power to express their wants and needs. With women having equal rights it creates a better their society. Mary Wollstonecraft was a philosopher supporting the cause for women 's rights. During this time she made a huge impact on many women giving them hope

In the 1800’s, society held women back from doing certain activities, having certain jobs and having the same rights as men. “While there were often not specific legal restrictions circumscribing the activities of women, the social restrictions were quite pervasive.” “Social norms, then, prevented women from many activities, even though there were no overt laws stating a women could not be a doctor, for example.” The women’s suffrage movement connects to the Enlightenment era because many of the philosophers talked about men creating

The eighteenth century embraced the beginning of an opinionated movement for new thinking about once unquestioned truths and actions. This movement, known as the enlightenment was more than a period of advanced ideas, as this unfamiliar way of thinking also lead to a change in the way that people began to operate within society. The ambition was lead by the attempt to break free from the past, overturning old ideas and moving forward. Enlightenment thinkers helped in spreading the idea that individuals could find universal truths for themselves while improving society through reasoning and science. Enlightenment thinkers who emulate these spreading of

The Enlightenment thinkers brought innovation and new ideas to the world, reforming the ways that people thought about issues of the time. Government, religion, and women’s rights were some of the most important issues during the Age of Enlightenment. All three subjects were placed under consideration and then under reformation, becoming some of the most recognizable results of the Enlightenment. Each of these issues connected to a central theme of oppression in a variety of different ways.

The Philosophes were first able to make an impact among the more average citizen through the popularization of the ‘salon’. The salon permitted the elite to share radical intellectual ideas in a safe space and often showcased a popular philosophe (Schwartz). These salons were mainly organized by women, and thus, their rights were discussed. Many of The Philosophes began to advocate for gender equality and included feminism in their spread of ideas, such as Marquis de Condorcet; this is regarded as the conception of modern feminism (Taylor 266). The general population was aware of the intellectual revolution occurring, but were unable to participate due to a lack of education and illiteracy. People wanted the ability to contribute to and fully grasp the concepts of The Philosophes, and thus demanded a higher level of education than ever before. During The Enlightenment, education was gradually changed from an elitist privilege to the right of all people (Mortier 73). Jean Jacques Rousseau outlined the importance of education to the human spirit: “All that we lack at birth, all that we need to come to man’s estate, is the gift of education.” (Rousseau 3). Rousseau believed that knowledge was the sole natural power that humankind could control. Thus, he advocated for the implantation of public education into society and to encourage the curiosity of

There are many important marks in history, especially all over the world. The Enlightenment thinkers contributed greatly to our world today. Many things would be different today if the Enlightenment and these contributors didn’t succeed. Each thinker, from John Locke, to Mary Wollstonecraft each had different ideas that were a big part of the Enlightenment. I’m going to give the main ideas of these Enlightenment thinkers and more in the following paragraphs.

During Europe’s Age of Enlightenment (1675-1800) new philosophies on human rights and liberties were developed. The ideas of Locke and Descartes had a revolutionary influence on politics and society; these new concepts fueled a growing debate about the role of women in public life. These arguments would take seed in the new nation of America, and blossom into immense social and political change in the following decades. During the nineteenth century, American women expanded into more public spheres by aggressively leveraging new technology and social movements.

The Enlightenment was a period when clusters of philosophers, writers, scholars, and aristocrats sharply debated standards and assumptions about women's rights in society. Issues that pertained to widening the women's sphere into more than just the household, questioning the ability of women to logic as men, and debating egalitarian co-educational opportunities for both boys and girls. This was a time when women started to come forth as intellectuals in response to the unbalanced status given to the “weaker” sex. Both male and female Enlightenment thinkers had opinions that spanned across each side of the issues. Jean-Jacque Rousseau, who in his novels, such as Emile,

The 18th century is referred to as the ‘Age of Enlightenment’. The trends in thought and letters from Europe to the American colonies brought a new light and attention upon mankind. This new movement described a time in Western philosophy and cultural life in which reason was advocated as the primary source and legitimacy for authority. ‘To understand the natural world and humankinds place in it solely on the basis of reason and without turning to religious belief was the goal of the wide-ranging intellectual movement’ (Hackett). At the heart o this age, a conflict began between religion and the inquiring mind that wanted to know and understand through reason based on evidence and proof rather than belief on faith alone.

Present day readers presume that the Enlightenment era was a period of equality and intellectual liberty. They also acknowledge a countercultural element in which society rejected orthodox religion for a more personal faith. However, few contemporary audiences know about the struggles of Enlightenment writers. In fact, the book has attempted to show the contradictory nature of this period in history. One eventually realizes that it was not a homogeneous affair as many historians have portrayed it. The economic and socio-political climate of the day constrained would-be intellectuals from taking their place.

The Great Enlightenment caused a great influx of independent thinkers and progressive ideas in the Western world. Through new philosophies coined by Locke, Voltaire, Descartes, Montesquieu, and many others, a new age in society was jumpstarted. Through the Age of Enlightenment, many revolutions were sparked in several areas of life. Enlightenment was a loose revolution made of scattered “philosophes” that caused a change in life as it was known. The Age of Enlightenment could easily be defined as the most pivotal event in history due to its mass effects on education, individuality, and theoretical advancements.