Enlightenment Ideals, Secularism and the Agricultural Revolution

Apuntes

Universality of Natural Laws: They believed that universal laws governed both the natural world and human behaviour, forming the basis for political and social theories. Universal Principles: They aimed to establish principles of human reason, morality, and politics that transcended local customs and traditions. 6. Which tenets of the Enlightenment encouraged Despotism and Totalism? Enlightened Absolutism: Thinkers like Voltaire supported the idea of enlightened absolutism, where a ruler with absolute power used their authority to promote Enlightenment ideals such as religious tolerance, education, and legal reform. However, this concept could potentially lead to dictatorship. Philosophical Rationalism: The belief in the power of reason to guide human affairs could be twisted to justify authoritarianism if a ruler claimed to have superior reason and knowledge, thereby justifying their absolute authority over others. Technological and Scientific Progress: Enlightenment thinkers celebrated scientific and technological progress as a means of improving human life. However, new technologies and scientific advances could be used by authoritarian governments to monitor, control, and manip...