The Philosophes
The Enlightenmnet was a cultural movement and thus forth, societal ideology has never stopped changing. The Philisophes culminated the Enlightenment. Their willingness to question without fear the policies of the monarchy, domineering wealthy class, and the oppressive church. The Philosophes dared to go where so few thinkers dared to go. In times before, philosophers findings had always complied with the church. There was no doubting the church and so philosophers built their ideas of the doctrines of the church.
The Philosophes were characterized by their organization and dedication. They managed to mix with the elite of Europe and transform their thinking. Their philosophies soon dominated the pattern of the Enlightenment. For example at the point of the Enlightenment when people learned to look at morality in relative terms rather than absolute terms, it was the work of the Philosophes. Their travel accounts and observances of cultures outside of Europe revealed new cultures and beliefs.
The Philosophies challenged religion, in every sense. As I said before, this was a time when the bible and Christian doctrines dominated all thoughts, but that never stopped the Philosophes from opposing and doubting all the church said was true. After the death of Louis the XIV, this was even more so. With the church slowly losing strength, more Philosophes used this to their advantage and published highly critical books, not just of religion, but also books that encroached on government. One of the most famous examples of this was Montesquieu.
Montesquieu made a point of criticizing the monarchy. He glorified English institutions, in hopes of getting the French monarchy to follow in the same footsteps. In his book "The Spirit of Laws" Montesquieu challenged everything. He challenged the corruption and silent power that women gained as mistresses and courtiers. He made a point of showing that these women were getting more time with the king than those who mattered, like government officials. Montesquieu surely was not an advocate of equality. The thought of a servant being equal to his master was absurd because he feared what allowing the poor uneducated into government and law could result in, but one point he argued was that laws should protect all equally and this could only be done by the Separation of Powers.
The Separation of Powers was the idea of power controlling power. Montesquieu argued that powers should be divided unevenly so as to prevent tyranny. His proposition for the separation of powers was for the promotion of liberty. Montesquieu's idea of Separation of Powers was a foundation of many constitutions today like that of the US and England. He is just one example of how much impact the at the time radical Philosophes had on their day and even in ours.
Times, fortunately, have progressed from a time where it took a dignified philosopher publishing a new theory before anyone, especially those in authoritative positions would consider it. Fortunately for us, we are in better times where each one of us can be thought of as a Philosophe. In today's world, everyone, from the poorest and most most uneducated of people to the richest are allowed to question authority without consequence. It is through reading such that we truly appreciate how far we have advanced as a people, meaning a nation, and quite possibly world. We are utilizing our given right to doubt every time we ask a question. Could you see yourself coping in a world where you must be powerful to have an opinion? What are some times that we exercise our right to doubt freely for granted?
