sullster

Cindy,
I too loved to read the Philosophes of the Enlightenment. Diderot made some excellent points, too. The era greatly influenced the political thinking of the founders of the USA. Could our government really been created in the way it is by a bunch of jesus freaks? Don't think so.

BUT, The Enlightenment was wrong about human nature. It ultimately had a romantic notion that humans were essentially good and rational and only needed to get rid of oppressive religions and political regimes to achieve true freedom.

Many poisonous groups hitched their wagons to the Englightenment's ideas. The French Revolution was our first warning that reason can run amuck and human's natural irrationality can come murderously to the surface. The 20th century exploded the idea that man can run by reason without the oppression of religious superstitions. In absence of religion, we saw the rise of a supposed rational system called Marxism and in Germany the irrational and insane too over.

I am not defending the religionists. The Enlightenment was a wonderful thing and many of its ideas must continue to be promulgated. Erase the infamy indeed. We just must remember that homo sapiens is an essentially irrational and emotional creature and that reason is a tool not a mental program.

Voltaire Is My Hero

*Yes, I agree. Well said.

--Cindy

sullster

Thank you. I didn't know how you would react. I see that you see the limits of the Enlightenment's optimism. It truly was a era of "light", the liberating light of thinking and reason. It is too bad that us humans still carry the workings of our reptilian brains.

The philosophes would have been disappointed to see science prove that human nature is not what they hoped for. But, they would have absorbed the knowledge and drank in the science of evolution and all else. The most wonderful aspect of the Enlightenment thinkers was their open mindedness and their desire to be free from the constraints of ancient thinking or delusion.

Voltaire Is My Hero

*I particularly like the following quote of Ben Ray Redman, editor of _The Portable Voltaire Reader_:

"And, for those of us who are incapable of finding supernatural solace, the rationalism of Voltaire [and of other 18th-century philosophes as well, of course; my interruption] -- with all its limitations -- remains the best hope and best instrument that man has on earth."

The philosophes weren't able to foresee the rise of totalitarianism in the absence of religious oppression. As someone [forget who exactly, perhaps author Eric Hoffer] said, the State can easily replace God/Church in oppressing, exploiting, and crushing people.

I very much love the optimism of the Enlightenment era; it is still, all these centuries later, palpable and encouraging. However, yes -- there was over-optimism as well, but of the innocent sort.

--Cindy