Great enlighteners of Europe: Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau

The Age of Enlightenment is one of the most significant periods in the history of world culture. This is the time for the spread of free-thinking and belief in the boundless possibilities of man. Who are they, great enlighteners of Europe.

Features of the era

The path to free thinking was long and difficult. In almost all countries until the end of the seventeenth century, public thought was under the control of the church. But gradually the Europeans got rid of a strict way of life. Instead of faith, knowledge began to come first.

XVIII century - the era of the philosophy of free thinking. Formed her great enlighteners of Europe. Table, which lists the names, years of life and the most famous works of these authors, is presented below.

Philosophy of the Enlightenment is based on democracy, the direction of all kinds of art and literature to the needs of the common people. The main task of the prominent representatives of eighteenth-century culture was the introduction of knowledge to everyone. The movement began in England, but soon spread to France and Germany. It is known that the Russian Empress Catherine II, who paid great attention to the issues of education and reorganization of society, for many years, corresponded with prominent cultural figures. Among them are Voltaire and other great enlighteners of Europe.

The most influential figures in world culture were French writers and poets. Among them are the aforementioned Voltaire, Denis Diderot and other great enlighteners of Europe. A summary of the biographies of some of them is set forth in the article.

In Russia, the main reformer of the education system was Lomanosov. He was both a scientist, and theoretician of literature, and the author of poetic works. But what was the name of the people in this article? Who are they, great enlighteners of Europe?

Table

Voltaire

The writer was the son of an official. He graduated from the Jesuit college, studied law, but later, as is known, preferred literature. Voltaire was a man of protest. He could not reconcile himself to the authority and the Catholic Church, so he often left France for several years. However, in other European countries he created satirical works aimed at criticizing the local social order.

In his youth, the French writer was imbued with the philosophy of Epicurus. Even the early works of Voltaire contain attacks against the church and absolutism. His later work is distinguished by a variety of genres. Among the works created by Voltaire, it is worth noting the philosophical stories, publicistic articles and historical works. The French writer had a significant influence on the development of world culture. His work inspired Russian authors. In the eighteenth century, even the term "Voltaireanism" appeared, implying irony, the overthrow of authority.

Some works Voltaire originally published anonymously. For example, the "Orléans virgin". The poem narrates about the heroine of the French people Jeanne d'Arc. And in such a satirical foreshortening that the church put it on the list of banned books.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

This philosopher was a bright figure of French sentimentalism. As a child, he studied in the Geneva Protestant boarding house, then entered the pupils to a notary. At sixteen years, Rousseau left his hometown. For his life he tried himself in many professions, often felt need. In 1750, Rousseau wrote a treatise, from which his literary work began. The subsequent works fully corresponded to the revolutionary spirit that prevailed in the cultural world, and allowed to attribute the author to a number of great people known in history as the great enlighteners of Europe.

Denis Diderot

One of the founders of the idea of advanced thinking did not believe in the spiritual beginning of life. Diderot believed that man is what society does of him, as, indeed, other great enlighteners of Europe. Diderot wrote prose and drama in the genre. His pen belongs to a number of philosophical treatises.

His parents wanted him to become a priest, but after graduating from a Jesuit college, Denis entered the faculty of arts. Diderot earned translations for a long time. The French writer worked more than thirteen years to create the "Encyclopedia", cooperating with other educators.

Role in history

Great enlighteners of Europe and their ideas have changed the way people think about society and about themselves. These philosophers have shown that man has a mind, spiritual power. Thoughts that now seem obvious before the seventeenth century were perceived as insolent and insane ideas, or, more accurately, could be perceived. Before the advent of the philosophy of the Enlightenment, nothing like what Voltaire, Diderot or Rousseau wrote about, hardly anyone would have dared to say aloud. In the Middle Ages with the church, jokes were bad. Any freethinking was the sure way to fall into the hands of the Inquisition. In the nineteenth century, some authors (for example, Charles de Coster) began to reflect in their works the horrors of gloomy time.

The values proclaimed by the enlighteners were rightly considered democratic. They caused a wide response in the masses. Creativity Voltaire, Rousseau and Diderot inspired many young authors of France, Germany, Russia.