By Leandro Carvalho
The Enlightenment was a current of thought that prevailed in Europe in the 18th century, called the century of enlightenment. Enlightenment philosophers defended the predominance of reason over faith and believed that progress and happiness would be the path traced for humanity.
The Enlightenment movement originated in the cultural, scientific and artistic Renaissance. For the Renaissance, reason and science were the basis for understanding the world. For the Enlightenment, God is in nature and in man, and can be discovered by reason. Therefore, the Church would not play the fundamental role for the salvation of the soul.
Enlightenment philosophers defended citizens' freedom of expression, religious freedom, they believed that everyone is equal before the law and that everyone has the right of defense against abuse by the authorities.
The four main precursors of the Enlightenment were Descartes, Bacon, Locke and Newton. The first, Frenchman, René Descartes (1596-1650), was considered the father of modern rationalism and his main work was the 'Discourse on Method' . In this work, he adopted systematic doubt as a means of finding the truth. According to Descartes, we should doubt everything, that is, doubt would be the premise of things. For this illuminist, doubt would end through the scientific proof of things or beings.
The second thinker, also a precursor of the Enlightenment, was the Englishman Francis Bacon (1561-1626). Considered the revolutionary of the scientific method, that is, of science, he was responsible for having created scientific experimentation, in which the conclusion must be proven by experience and practice.
The Englishman John Locke (1632-1704) was considered the third vehement critic of the political theory of divine power (king as divine power). Locke formulated the political theory that the ruler should respect natural rights and not go beyond the limits of the representatives who chose him. He was also one of the founders of the parliamentary monarchy.
The fourth precursor of Enlightenment thought was Isaac Newton (1642-1727), also of English origin. For this Enlightenment thinker, natural phenomena are governed by natural laws. He created the 'law of gravity' and is considered the father of Modern Physics.
The four Enlightenment thinkers described above were of fundamental importance in changing the mindset of European society. From Enlightenment ideas, French thinkers deepened and disseminated the Enlightenment current of thought around the world, directly influencing the French Revolution, a landmark of rupture with the society of the Ancien Régime.