Otherwise known as the Enlightenment, began in Europe.
Philosophers and scientists of the seventeenth centuries called themselves rationalists. Sir Isaac Newton( ) besides his scientific contributions believed that people were given the opportunity to control their own destiny.
Scientific tinkering or experimentation thrived in American Colonies. Cotton Mather ( ) Thomas Jefferson Benjamin Franklin
In 1721 a ship from the West Indies docked in Boston harbor carrying a cargo of sugar, molasses, and small pox. Cotton Mather tried to convince people that the plague was not a punishment from God because of sin. He suggested a Turkish technique of inoculation.
Boston’s medical community was opposed to taking such a risk. Especially when the technique was used by Muslims. Tension was so high and talking turned into violence which resulted in the bombing of Cotton Mather’s house. Mather was able to go ahead with the inoculation. He inoculated 3,000 and only 6 of these died. 6,000 people contracted the disease in all, which was half of Boston’s population. Of these 865 died.
The belief that God made it possible for all people at all times to discover natural laws through their God-Given power of reason. American deists came from different religious backgrounds, but sought principles that united all religions. They believed in the perfectibility of every individual through the use of reason.
Common beliefs that joined Deists 1.The universe was orderly and good. 2.There was a goodness to humanity (differing from Puritan belief). 3.People could become perfect (perfectibility) through the use of reason. 4.God’s objective was the happiness of his creatures. 5.The best form of worship was to do good for others. 6.Deism elevated the natural desire to improve the lives of others and made it one of the nation’s highest goals (social welfare).
Literature written in American Colonies during the Age of Reason was rooted in reality. Pamphlets with practical and political messages were widely used. After the Revolutionary war Ben Franklin wrote the first autobiographical narrative in Autobiography. The concept of self-made success began.
People arrive at truth by using reason rather than by relying on the authority of the past, on religion, or on non-rational mental processes like intuition. God created the universe but does not interfere in its workings. The world operates according to God’s rules, and through the use of reason we can discover those rules. People are basically good and perfectible. Since God wants people to be happy, they worship God best by helping other people. Human history is marked by progress toward a more perfect existence.