With the beginning of the industrial revolution in Europe, the worldview of people was rapidly changing. Science was actively developing: the textile industry appeared, metallurgy was invented, many natural phenomena were explained from the point of view of physics. As a result, the dogmas of the Catholic Church were questioned, and persecution began against scientists who renounced the faith (Inquisition).
European society of the 16th and 17th centuries needed a new teaching that would give people comprehensive answers to their questions. Deism was called upon to explain unresolved issues within the framework of religion.
Definition
What is meant by deism? Can it be considered a religion?
Deism in philosophy is a direction of social thought that arose in the 17th century. It is a synthesis of rationalism with the idea of God. According to deism, the origin of the world was God or some Supreme Intelligence. It was he who gave impetus to the development of the amazing and beautiful that surrounds us. Then he left the world to develop according to natural laws.
Deism in philosophy appeared thanks to the revolutionary bourgeoisie, who denied feudalism and the unlimited power of the Church.
It's time to figure out what deism is: religion, philosophyor worldview concept? Most sources define it as a direction or current of thought that explains the world order. Deism is definitely not a religion, because it denies dogma. Some scholars even define this philosophical direction as covert atheism.
Where did deism originate?
England was the birthplace of deism, then the doctrine became popular in France and Germany. In each of the countries, the direction had its own characteristic coloring, combined with the mentality of the people. It was these three countries that were the centers of the ideology of the Enlightenment, most of the scientific discoveries took place in them.
In England, deism was not ubiquitous among educated people. Only a narrow stratum of writers and philosophers, led by Lord Cherbury, was "ignited" by the new idea. They wrote numerous works based on the ideas of ancient philosophers. The founder of deism sharply criticized the church: he believed that it had unlimited power based on the blind faith of people.
The second name for deism is the religion of reason described in Cherbury's Treatise on Truth. The peak of the trend's popularity in England came in the first half of the 18th century: even deeply religious people began to share the ideas of the doctrine.
Deism was of great importance for France: Voltaire, Mellier and Montesquieu severely criticized the power of the church. They protested not against faith in God, but against the prohibitions and restrictions imposed by religion, as well as against the great power of church employees.
Voltaire is a key figure in the French Enlightenment. Scientistfrom a Christian to a deist. He recognizes rational faith, not blind faith.
Deists in Germany read the writings of their English and French contemporaries. They further formed the popular Enlightenment movement. The German philosopher Wolff was a deist: thanks to him, the Protestant religion became freer.
Deists are famous historical figures and scientists
It's no surprise that the classical deist had a university degree and was fond of history. When a person knows physics, it is impossible to convince him that a rainbow or thunder is a divine phenomenon. A scientist can assume that the root cause of everything was God, who formed a harmonious and beautiful world, gave him logical laws, according to which everything lives and moves. But the Almighty does not interfere in the ongoing events. They occur in accordance with open physical laws.
Famous deists were:
- Isaac Newton.
- Voltaire.
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
- David Hume.
- Alexander Radishchev.
- Jean Bodin.
- Jean Baptiste Lamarck.
- Mikhail Lomonosov.
The ideas of deism are still popular. Many Western scientists are deists - they recognize the Divine principle of the world, while they are well aware of their field of science.
Theism, deism, pantheism - what's the difference?
The difference between these similar-sounding words is great:
- Theism is a worldview concept based on the belief in one God. Two world religionsChristianity and Islam are theistic. They belong to monotheistic religions, that is, they recognize one God.
- Deism is not a religion, as mentioned earlier, but a symbiosis of two ideas: the idea of the Creator and the laws of science. This philosophical direction is not based on revelation, but recognizes the mind, intellect and statistics.
- Pantheism is a religious and philosophical trend that equates God with nature. One can understand "God" through rapprochement with the Universe and with nature.
Having defined the concepts, we list the main differences between these concepts from each other:
- Theism is the same as religion. Recognizes the existence of a single God who created the world and to this day helps people. Pantheism and deism are philosophical directions that describe the world order.
- Deism is a trend of thought that combines the idea of God, who created the Universe, and the idea of the further development of the world according to certain laws, already without the intervention of the Creator. Pantheism is a philosophical trend that identifies the concept of God with nature. Deism and pantheism are fundamentally different things that should not be confused with each other.
The influence of deism on the development of philosophy
Deism in philosophy is a completely new direction that gave rise to at least three worldview concepts:
- Empiricism.
- Materialism.
- Atheism.
Many German scientists relied on the ideas of deism. Kant used them in his famous work "Religion within the limits of reason alone". Even to Russiaechoes of the European Enlightenment came: in the 18-19th centuries, a new direction became popular with Russian progressive figures.
Deistic ideas contributed:
- Combating prejudices and superstitions.
- Spreading scientific knowledge.
- A positive interpretation of progress.
- Development of social thought.
Conclusions
Deism is a fundamentally new trend in philosophy that rapidly spread throughout Europe during the Enlightenment. The inquisitive minds of medieval scientists, philosophers and thinkers combined the idea of God the Creator with scientific discoveries.
It can be said that the public demand for a new worldview concept was successfully satisfied. Deism contributed to the development of science, art and free thought.
