During many centuries, various philosophical directions arose and gradually disappeared. Some of them corresponded to the spirit of their time, others were ahead of it in many ways. One part of them was supported and even planted by the state, and the second became forbidden. Many cases are known when persecution began against outstanding thinkers, their books were publicly burned at the stake as blasphemous. One of the most powerful movements of the 17th and 18th centuries was the Enlightenment. Originating in England, it quickly spread throughout Europe.
Main features of the Enlightenment
Enlightenment is a way of struggle waged by representatives of the bourgeoisie with the cultural and political system of the state. The revolutionary-minded sections of society were ardent opponents of the established feudal-absolutist system. You can also give another concept. Enlightenment is a direction of cultural and philosophical thought associated with the assertioncapitalist relations. It was a natural stage in the development of any state, moving from outdated foundations to completely new, industrialist ones. The main features of the Enlightenment are:
- democratism, which ensures an increase in education in all segments of the population;
- rationalism, providing for a deep belief in the limitless possibilities of the human mind. Kant became the main promoter of these ideas;
- legal education. It included the dissemination of knowledge of inalienable rights and freedoms to all people.
Time of Enlightenment in European countries
The era when rationalism and freethinking came to the fore has become one of the key ones in the formation of modern civilization. The Enlightenment is a direction that arose under the influence of the scientific revolution in England. Very quickly, innovative ideas spread throughout Europe, penetrating into France, and later into Russia. Thus, the English Enlightenment became the progenitor of a powerful movement that largely changed the worldview of people. The most influential were representatives of the Enlightenment in France. It is this country that is famous for its outstanding philosophers who created voluminous treatises. Under the influence of the fundamental principles of the Enlightenment, the Declaration of Independence was written in the United States, as well as the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.
The movement that had begun could not but affect ethics and various spheres of the social life of society. In the US, the Enlightenment triggered the abolitionslavery and the acquisition of independence by colonial lands. In addition, the authority of the aristocracy was significantly shaken, and the influence of the church on secular life also decreased. It used to be almost absolute.
The culture of enlightenment itself was not one specific philosophical school. Very often, the opinions of certain thinkers and their adherents differed significantly and even contradicted each other. They were united by criticism of the established traditional foundations, moral, ethical and political views.
As for the time limits of the Enlightenment, historians cannot agree. Some believe that the movement began in the late 19th century, others believe that it was the middle of the 18th century. The end of this period is usually associated with the death of Voltaire, as well as with the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars. There is another opinion: the Glorious Revolution in England and the Great French Revolution became the apogee of the Enlightenment.
Enlightenment in the era of Peter the Great
The eighteenth century entered the history of Russia as a time of extraordinary contrasts that affected all spheres of life. There was a rise in science and education. The secularization of temple architecture took place, cultural ties with other peoples were established, and national isolation was overcome. For the first time, museums, assemblies, regular publications, official secular educational institutions arose.
Russian Enlightenment is an attempt by all means to copy the European way of life. Merchants and clergy strongly resistedinnovations and reluctantly went towards the aristocracy.
Enlightenment in the 18th century
A lot of attention was paid to education, culture and art during the reign of Catherine II. The Empress bought collections of paintings and sculptures, communicated with prominent figures, including those who came from other countries. The example of Catherine II was followed by her entourage. They arranged exhibitions on their estates, joining the beautiful and enlightening.
Much attention during this period was paid to cadet schools, institutes and schools. The main merit of the empress can be called the creation of a unified education system, in which there was no division into classes. The only exceptions were serfs.
For the first time officials are asked about the development of general education, and not just technical and natural.
Russian education in the field of law
Questions related to the study and teaching of the fundamentals of legislation arose in Russia at the end of the 17th century. They were caused by the established enlightened absolutism and the creation of a unified educational system. Back in 1682, Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich strongly recommended studying the heritage, both spiritual and legal. But these initiatives never came to fruition. The level of legal literacy in the country remained extremely low.
The first real enlighteners in Russia can rightly be called Peter I and Catherine II. It was their efforts that created the first prerequisites for the formation of a modern legislativesystems in our country. Peter I ordered the creation of written normative acts and convened the first commission in Russia to write a new Code and translate foreign legal treatises into Russian. Catherine II continued the activities of her predecessor. She actively attracted prominent lawyers, philosophers and politicians to work.
It is with the time of the reign of Peter I that historians connect the beginning of the existence of legal education, which led to legal enlightenment. Many thinkers from European countries came to Russia to see firsthand the innovations in the field of legislation. A. Smith, one of the founders of such a direction as the English Enlightenment, was surprised to note the unprecedented pace of development of law under the leadership of Peter I. In the future, more and more attention was paid to this direction.
The historical significance of the Enlightenment
Each philosophical trend becomes a very important milestone in the development of civilization. Enlightenment influenced all aspects of the social and spiritual life of Europe, the USA and Russia. It was thanks to him that secular society separated from the church, all segments of the population got the opportunity to study, and national borders were broken.
