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1、The18thCenturyLiteraturenTheAgeofEnlightenmentnThe AgeofEnlightenment (orsimplythe Enlightenment,or AgeofReason)isanerafromthe1650stothe1780sinwhichculturalandintellectualforcesinWesternEuropeemphasizedreason,analysis,andindividualismratherthantradition
2、allinesofauthority.Itwaspromotedby philosophiesandlocalthinkersinurbancoffeehouses,salons.Itchallengedtheauthorityofinstitutionsthatweredeeplyrootedinsociety,suchasthe CatholicChurch;therewasmuchtalkofwaystoreformsocietywithtoleration,scienceand skeptic
3、ism.nTheEnlightenmentisasocial,philosophical,political,andliterarymovement,soughttoevaluateandunderstandtheworldbywayofscientificobservationandcriticalreasoningratherthanthroughuncriticallyacceptedreligion,traditionandsocialconventions.TheEnglishthinker
4、sandwritershopedtonurtureasecularviewoftheworldthroughtreatingreligious,social,politicalandeconomicissuesinarationalandscientificmanner.nUndertheinfluencesofthephilosophersofthepreviousage,theadvocatesoftheenlightenmentheldastrongbeliefthatreasoncouldbe
5、usedtoovercomeignorance,superstition,andtyrannytobuildaperfectworld.Theythoughtthatlogicandreasoncouldbeusedtobattleallsortsofabsurdnotions.n“Reason”meantcommonsense,observation,andtheirownunacknowledgedprejudicesinfavorofskepticismandfreedom.Theysought
6、todiscovereffectiveprinciplestogovernhumanity,natureandsociety.Theybelievescientificmethodscouldbeusedtostudyhumansociety.nTheEnlightenmentthinkersputforwardasetofbasicprincipleabouthumansociety.Theytrustedthathumanbeingswerenaturallygoodandcouldbeeduca
7、tedtobebetter.Ifpeopleweregivenfreedom,socialprogresswastheinevitableoutcome.Thegoalsofanidealsocietyshouldbesettoimprovebothmaterialandspirituallife.nTheEnlightenmentthinkersshowedinterestintechnologicalchange,whichwouldpromiseagreatprosperityforthewho
8、lesociety.Theythoughttheyhaddiscoveredasimplewayforperpetualhumanhappiness,andindividualscouldactfreelyinaccordancewiththeirnatures.nFrenchPhilosophynMontesquieu孟德斯鸠a.Persian《波斯人信札》b.TheSpiritoftheLaws《论法的精神》---theseparationofthe
