Concetti Chiave
- The Enlightenment's focus on reason failed to address societal issues like industrial misery, leading to a resurgence of interest in emotion and everyday life.
- Nature was reimagined from a set of controllable divine principles to a living entity, prompting a shift in its representation.
- Hume redefined aesthetic sense, arguing that beauty is subjective and varies with individual perception, challenging Locke's objectivity.
- The concept of the Sublime emerged, rooted in fear and horror, distinct from beauty or object contemplation.
- Social critics like Burke, Paine, Godwin, and Wollstonecraft debated revolution, reform, and equality, reflecting varied responses to societal changes.
Now Nature was seen as a living being to be described as it really was. Another important revolution concerned the aesthetic sense: Hume denied the objectivity of experience stated by Locke: he maintained that Beauty exists in the mind which contemplates objects, so the concept of Beauty changes depending on each subject.
SUBLIME
Sublime was neither linked to the creation of beautiful forms, nor to the contemplation of objects, but had its roots in the fear and horror caused by the infinite and the terrifying.
About social criticism
I’ll describe what some important authors thought about the consequences of the revolution.
• BURKE: though he supported the independence of America, he represented a voice of protest, always controversial. He did not approve of revolution as a mean of reform. He maintained that institutions could be reformed only after a process of evolution, always respecting the heritage and the greatness of past sources.
• PAINE: he replied to Burke’s aversion to revolutions. Supporting the French Revolution, he advocated republicanism, the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of the women. He was impressed by Newton’s physical laws which he viewed as a harmony. He criticised the monarchical rule.
• GODWIN: he provided a criticism of existing society, which he viewed as a system of social ethics. He shared an optimism rooted in the confidence in the power of human reason.
• Mary WOLLSTONECRAFT, Godwin’s wife, was in contrast with the radical intellectuals of the time. She struggled on the side of women and claimed their freedom, and she wanted women and men to be considered equal.
Domande da interrogazione
- ¿Cuál fue la crítica principal al enfoque racionalista de la Ilustración?
- ¿Cómo cambió la percepción de la naturaleza durante este periodo?
- ¿Qué opinaba Burke sobre las revoluciones como medio de reforma?
- ¿Cuál fue la postura de Mary Wollstonecraft respecto a la igualdad de género?
La crítica principal fue que la razón no podía corregir los males de la sociedad, como la miseria y desolación traídas por la industrialización, y que la supremacía de la razón reprimía la emoción.
La naturaleza dejó de ser vista como un conjunto de leyes divinas que el hombre podía controlar con la razón, y comenzó a ser considerada como un ser vivo que debía ser descrito tal como era.
Burke no aprobaba las revoluciones como medio de reforma, argumentando que las instituciones solo podían reformarse tras un proceso de evolución que respetara la herencia y grandeza del pasado.
Mary Wollstonecraft luchó por la libertad de las mujeres y abogó por que mujeres y hombres fueran considerados iguales.
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