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The Era of Enlightenment begins in response to philosophers' disdain of many religions' superstitious natures. It was a time of reason, logic, critique, and science.
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Also known as the Age of Reason.
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1.Human autonomy is the means and end of Enlightenment
- The importance of reason
- Enlightenment is universal
- Progress
- The centrality of economics to politics
- The ideal of popular government
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Hobbes publishes Leviathan. One of the first writings during the Period of Enlightenment.
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Locke publishes two Treatise on Government
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Mary Astell wrote Serious Proposal to the Ladies. This stated that women needed to become better educated.
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David Hume is born at Edinburgh to a father who owned a small estate near Berwickshire named "Ninewells" and a mother, Katherine Falconer, who was from a family of lawyers. Dies of Cancer in 1776
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After an attack of hypocondria, he visits France, where over the next three years, he works on his Treatise of Human Nature.
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The first two volumes of the Treatise is published, One year later the third volume is published, but there is little reaction.
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Hume publishes his Essay of Superstition and Enthusiasm, particularly critiquing the Roman Catholic church.
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Hume publishes his first volume of essays (one of which is the Essay of Superstiton and Enthusiasm).
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Hume publishes his second volume of Essays
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Appointed secretary to General St. Clair an travles on a military expedition to Brittany.
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Publishes Four Dissertations: The Natural History of Religion, Of the Passions, Of Tragedy, Of the Standard of Taste.
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An Enquiry concerning the Human Understanding is republished and renamed (formerly Philosophical Essays concerning the Human Understanding), a condensed version of the Treatise of Human Nature.
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Beccaria published On Crimes and Punishments.
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Settles in Edinburgh and lives out his life as a man of letters and acknowledged patriarch of literature helping young writers critically as well as financially amoungst whom were Thomas Blackwell, Tobias Smollett and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
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Postumous publication of Dialogues concerning Natural Religion.
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Immanuel Kant publishes his Critique of Pure Reason; his analysis of the human mind and how it relates to nature.
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Enlightenment philosopher Condorcet publishes a treatise about womens' rights, claiming they have (or should have) all the same rights as men.
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The Period of Enlightenment starts to decline as the the Period of Romanticism begins.