western political philosophies

By the start of the 16th century, revolutions began to develop in the minds of the people. As they distanced themselves from the Catholic Church they started to depend on reason instead of religion. The development of certain technologies allowed these ideas to unfurl, and the growth of rational thought encouraged educated discussions and meetings. People began to become literate to interpret the Bible on their own and started accepted new ideas about the world, government, lifestyles, etc… The Western Political Philosophies in the 16th — 18th centuries have a lasting impact, due to the alignment of these philosophies with the common mindset, the printing press, and Paris salons; sparking a chain of revolutions across the world.

The Western Political Philosophies resonated with the common mentality, only further encouraging the people towards a representative government, and away from their past. The reformation started catching on in the 1600s, and with the support of the printing press, it forced the people to become literate to interpret the bible. After becoming educated, the people opened up to a whole new spectrum of new ideas, absorbing these thoughts from newspapers, books, magazines, discussions, etc… Through these sources, the people became familiar with popular philosophers such as John Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. Since the break with the Catholic Church had left the people without a government, these political philosophies, hand-in-hand with their newly developed sense of revolution due to being literate encouraged people toward a representative government where their rights were upheld. Locke proposed that the government only has authority if the public consented it, basic rights of life, liberty, and property should be upheld by the government and that it was the duty of the people to overthrow the government if their rights were not upheld. This idea was so favored in America since it aligned with the mindset of the people; they wanted their rights to be protected and they didn’t want their past experiences of neglect and oppression( by Britain) to be repeated. Montesquieu discussed the separation of control in government in the form of checks and balances, and Rousseau analysis a social contract between the citizens and government and popular sovereignty. These ideas resonated with the Americans since they wanted representation in the government and they wanted it to be upheld. In their past form of government, they did not have representation nor did they have a way to uphold their rights leading to the popular slogan “no taxation without representation”. Running from their past, they took these ideas into grave importance when forming the founding documents of the nation.

In 1440, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, paving the path for the widespread ideas of the philosophers in the upcoming years. For the first time, the authors were able to distribute their works over a large scale population in significantly less time, and the Protestants and philosophers took this to their advantage. Several philosophers got their works published and printed in newspapers, pamphlets, magazines, books, etc.. ; spreading their revolutionary ideas like wildfire. For example, John Locke’s Second Treatise was published anonymously in 1689 and brought out by Awnsham and John Churchill. Unlike before, the middle class was able to contribute to this movement by buying these prints and spreading the ideas through their social class. The growth of these ideas can be seen in the exponential success of the newspaper in America. The first American newspaper was printed in 1704, and by the end of the century, there were hundreds of daily newspapers in the country. Another example is Denis Diderot’s Encyclopedia, which was a collection of Enlightenment ideas covering the arts, culture, science, and more. This specific encyclopedia was so widespread due to the printing press and his persistence against the French government for permission to print his work. The government began to fear this uprising of revolutionary ideas against the current government system and a series of censorship followed. The success of the printing press and persistence of the public continued to shine. Philosophers such as Monnstesquie and Voltaire began to hide their ideas in fiction books. Later in the 1800s, the Second Continental Congress started growing allowing even further spread of ideas through the postal system. Though the impact of the printing press is more of a divisive cause to the overall impact of the Enlightenment, it allowed several underlying causes to gain popularity and spread quicker than ever before, such as the internal frustration of the people due to lack of representation and equal rights.

On the other side of the world in England, Paris salons began their contribution to the spread of Enlightenment ideas. Originally started as just poetry readings, Paris salons evolved to become gatherings of great thinkers and philosophers, held by wealthy women in France, where the women listened to their ideas and writings in various subjects including politics, arts, culture, and more. An example of an influential hostess was Marie-Therese Geoffrin who held regular salon meetings for rational discussions and she even financially supported Diderot’s encyclopedia. Salon meetings allowed philosophers to congregate with the public and spread their ideas with much less objection from officials. Often, nobility and the middle class were present allowing an equal ground for people to openly share their ideas.

Philosophies from the 16th century leading into The Enlightenment had such an impact because the decline of the Catholic Church left the people to search for new ideas, shaping the path for governments involving representation, rights, and individual liberty, unlike their past governments. Moreover, the philosophers tailored their opinions to the people’s common mindset at the time, and the printing press and salons helped put these ideas into play. These philosophies sculpted the foundation for several modern governments today, as seen in the American Declaration of Independence. The American Revolution gave the final encouragement to England for their own Glorious Revolution and later the Latin American Revolution. These philosophies are responsible for a great deal of the success that various governments have today, and their now seemingly simple suggestions have brought cosmic change to our present rights and lifestyle.

12182019