Modernity and Enlightenment in The Persian Letters by...

Modernity and Enlightenment in The Persian Letters by Charles Montesquieu The Persian Letters (1721), a fictional piece by Charles Montesquieu, is representative of ‘the Enlightenment,’ both supporting and showing conflict with its ideas. The initial perception of European people, in particular the French, is of a busy people with goals and ambition whose focus is progress; in this way they are able to gain knowledge - a core foundation to Enlightenment. One particular section of the Persian Letters states that the revolt against the authorities was lead by women, who through reason, saw the inequity of their treatment and formed a voice. In Montesquieus story, their decision to change tradition†¦show more content†¦The thought was that human kind was emerging from an age of darkness into ‘Enlightenment’. This idea was focused around the advancement of scientific knowledge, the development of respect for humanity and above all, reason. People of this time believed that knowledge had to be earned and that ‘thro ugh experience and observation, guided by reason,’ progress was inevitable. The idea of Enlightenment filtered its way into society and was became institutionalized. During this period, European traditions also came under the microscope and were challenged by many scholars and philosophers. Economical, social and political attitudes were studied and began to move away from negativity. People then focused on the positives of life and human nature. The monarch and general hierarchy of society was questioned and related back to natural intentions for mankind. Frenchmen felt enslaved by their current authorities and tried to overthrow them through the improvement of literacy, anonymous tracts and social exploration. As the focus of Enlightenment was on the natural law and order of the world, religious beliefs and especially Christian theology were a central topic. People of this age were trying to simplify common day human laws back to nature as it provided ‘the basic metaphor’ for how mankind should live. In Letter 24 of ‘Les letters persanes,’ Rica’s perception ofShow MoreRelatedhistory of philosophy5031 Words   |  21 PagesContents   Ã‚  [hide]   1  Western philosophy 1.1  Ancient philosophy 1.2  Medieval philosophy 1.3  Renaissance philosophy 1.4  Modern philosophy 1.5  Contemporary philosophy 2  Eastern philosophy 2.1  Babylonian philosophy 2.2  Indian philosophy 2.3  Persian philosophy 2.4  Chinese philosophy 3  Abrahamic philosophy 3.1  Jewish philosophy 3.2  Christian philosophy 3.3  Islamic philosophy 3.3.1  Religious roots 3.3.2  Transferring of Greek philosophy 3.3.3  Periods 3.3.3.1  Early Islamic philosophy 3