The Enlightenment: Key Ideas, Impact, and Figures
The Enlightenment: A Cultural and Ideological Movement
The Enlightenment was a cultural and ideological movement that developed in Europe during the 17th century. Its background lies in humanism and rationalism. The learned men of letters were activists who sought to transform society. Their work fueled the liberal influences that led to the French Revolution.
Key Features of the Enlightenment
Critical Spirit and the Cult of Reason
Any established truth can be subjected to criticism by human intelligence.
Belief in Progress
The scientific spirit becomes important, relying on science and technology to improve people’s lives.
Secularism
Advocating for spiritual freedom and religious tolerance, supporters of the separation of church and state, many were critical of the church due to its land holdings and the Inquisition.
Natural Religion
According to Rousseau, there is a natural goodness in human beings, advocating for a natural religion without worship or clergy. In England, deism developed, which posits that God created the world and then allowed it to evolve according to its own laws.
Philanthropy
Enlightenment thinkers believed in solidarity and fraternity, defending the common good. They conceived of the human being as a citizen with rights and duties, as reflected in the Declaration of Human Rights.
Reformism
There was a need for profound social and political reform. They defended enlightened despotism, cooperating with real power to modernize society by imposing changes from above, according to the formula: “All for the people, but without the people.”
Emphasis on Teaching
Knowledge makes man freer, therefore, they advocated for education. They promoted schools and advocated for the reform and expansion of education. This educational effort was also reflected in the conception of literature, which should be taught to delight.
Neoclassicism
A return to the classics was proposed. Neoclassical literature defended the aesthetic standards of classical perceptual likelihood, such as the imitation of nature and respect for the rule of three unities (action, time, and place).
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos: Biography
1744-1811. A political intellectual and patriot, Jovellanos was an important reformer committed to his time. Born in Gijón into a noble family, he studied at the universities of Oviedo, Ávila, and Alcalá de Henares. After a brief career in the church, he joined the judiciary and dedicated his life to politics. He received the mayor of Madrid court house, a city in which he participated in the enlightened environment led by Carlos III. The dying king banished Jovellanos to Gijón. From that moment, he was first restored and then pursued. His last exile was in Mallorca between 1801 and 1808. After the Napoleonic invasion, he was released and acclaimed by the people.
Literary Works of Jovellanos
Theater Reform
Memoir on Public Entertainment
Presenting his ideas on culture and education, Jovellanos called for reform of the theater, stating that the people need entertainment and the upper classes need free events planned by the government.
Memoir on Public Education
He argued that culture should not be the privilege of a minority and that education must be free, open, and gratuitous.
Report on Land
He tried to apply to Spain the economic ideas circulating in Europe, according to which a country’s wealth lay in its natural resources and the labor of its inhabitants. Jovellanos also wrote some poems (epistles and satires) and a few plays, such as Pelayo, a neoclassical tragedy, and The Honored Offender, a romantic comedy.